Disclosures of Prior Damage and Claims Presentation Accuracy Avoid Claims Disputes | Property Insurance Coverage Law Blog

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Karen Schiffmiller, a pacesetter and Past President of the Florida Association of Public Insurance Adjusters, wrote the next word in response to an article, Miami Homeowner Charged with Defrauding Citizens by Claiming Old Damage:

Why you must all the time ask questions. All Public Insurance Adjusters have a duty, when probably representing a shopper, to do your due diligence and ask questions if there have been any prior claims and injury on the property.

Always, all the time, all the time do the appropriate factor! If you’re uncertain if one thing is roofed, or the injury seems prefer it has been occurring for a time period, or the injury seems previous, ask questions and do your homework!

The article famous:

Florida authorities have charged a Miami man – who has a protracted report of felony and civil circumstances underneath his identify – with insurance coverage fraud after investigators discovered that some $300,000 in claims have been linked to pre-existing injury to his house.

Damacio Covon Green, 52, was arrested earlier this month after he claimed virtually $80,000 in injury to his Miami Gardens house from a backed-up drain line in early 2021, in accordance with the Florida Department of Financial Services. A Citizens Property Insurance Co. adjuster discovered that the injury had occurred earlier than the home-owner coverage was written in 2020, the division stated in an announcement.

The revelations within the 2021 declare led investigators to find out that $302,000 in earlier claims have been for alleged injury that was previous and had not been disclosed when insurance policies have been inked, a DFS spokesman stated.

The finest adjustment apply is to all the time decide the situation of the property earlier than the loss occurred. Every adjuster might want to know this simply to find out an precise money worth estimate of harm. By doing so, questions on prior insurance coverage claims, damages from prior occurrences—repaired and never repaired, and the quantity of damage and tear to a property will all the time be inquired in order that claims disputes and expenses much like the above will be minimized or prevented.

Is prior unrepaired injury all the time excluded? In most circumstances, the reply is “yes.” But I recommend readers of this weblog re-read this publish: Prior Flood Damage Does Not Need to Be Repaired to Have Subsequent Flood Claim Paid.

Thought For The Day

We have been criticized all through that investigation for being too thorough, for taking too lengthy. But time has proved the correctness of that strategy.

—Ken Starr

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