A person who owns a home can file a claim to the insurance company that they pay a premium to-THEY pay the premium and in most cases it is up to them as to whether they use that money for repairs or otherwise. If they have a mortgage, usually the check is made out to the homeowner and the mortgage company-and because the mortgage company is part owner, they want the damages fixed and will normally inspect the project to assure that something they are vested in is repaired. It's the same with owning a car-if you own your car and get a dent, insurance will pay you but if you don't have it financed, you can choose to fix it or not with the check. The down side to that is-if you do not have it fixed or the home repaired with the money, the insurance company can refuse to renew your insurance when the time rolls around.

It's a mess. Insurance transferred us to new, large claims adjuster and it's like starting over. He walked through our house Tuesday and was supposed to get us a revised estimate by Friday and did not. The new guy talked directly with our contractor, but the conversation didn't go well. Insurance wants our contractor to further break down each line item for his cost of materials vs his cost of labor. Our contractor told us he will do that, but feels insurance is telling him what he actually should be charging for things like labor, and he will not bend to their pricing - that insurance unfairly prices labor in what it takes in perfect conditions of a brand new build, not dealing with imperfect conditions, uneven walls, beams, etc of our 90+ year old home. Insurance guy emailed us and agrees that contractor convo did not go well and basically implied now we have to use insurance preferred Paul Davis Restoration. Also basically implied we have to move from our hotel because this is going to take awhile now and the hotel is expensive. Then he didn't follow up that email with a phone call or respond to our phone calls. We are so very irritated by that email and lack of follow up! At any rate, whoever does the work, our concern is that they match exactly what was done in our brand new renovation that we had just barely moved into! For instance, we had beautiful new wood floors installed in our new open floor plan first floor, but part of them in the kitchen area got damaged from a failed tarp when it rained through a wall the firefighters ripped open. We need the replacement floors to match exactly so it looks seamless, like nothing happened, or will not consider ourselves fairly indemnified We want all trim work, crown moulding, replaced decking, etc to match what was just done in our renovation. Our contractor literally just did this work so we know they can and will redo it the same, but don't have the same faith in whoever we get through insurance. We may not have the funds to pay the public adjuster as we are already financially stretched at the end of a long renovation, but have reached out to one anyway and are waiting for a call back. In the meantime, we've also reached out to a lawyer (I have access to one as a work benefit), and will also be looking into talking with our states public insurance commissioner. We do feel insurance is bullying us a bit now and want to make sure we understand our rights and our policy.

I had a minor flood last year caused by an idiot upstairs - I am in a high rise. I had the emergency water remediation come out to dry out the walls. I needed an asbestos remediation company to check for asbestos and then they had to be paid to remove the drywall because it contained asbestos. I then had to have the drywall installed AND there was damage to the ceiling because the asbestos people tape up a plastic "room" and the tape destroyed the ceiling. I didn't have problems with my insurance company as they paid me what it cost less my deductible. I presented them with the invoices. They approved my choice of the water and asbestos remediation companies and paid their invoices. I presented them with the estimate from the GC for repairs - including repairs for the ceiling damage caused by the asbestos company - and they paid that fully as well. Obviously you need to find out what it is going to cost to completely repair the damage. I have insurance with full replacement value. Something I didn't realize is that they deduct the depreciation until AFTER you finish. In my case this was moot since I had actually just finished a full remodel so there was no remediation. Before hiring a third party, why don't you wait to see if there are issues with the insurance company. Find out what they require in terms of estimates for repairs - e.g. how many bids do you have to provide. My insurance adjuster was great and my neighbors who had even more extensive repairs necessary also didn't need a third party to help them. Some of their claims were pretty massive in terms of gutting kitchens; replacing flooring in an entire floor as well as two months of hotel accommodations and meals because they had to move out while repairs were being done.

Negotiating Strategy 101: The party with the information has a big advantage. In your case, the insurance company holds all the information. You probably revealed it was your first insurance claim. You appeared emotional (instead of fact-oriented). You didn't have an advocate handy. You don't know much about repairs. You and your husband may not be on the same page. You sit around and wait while nothing gets done. You consider allowing a fraud and a liar back into your house. You don't exert any control at all in the situation. You have revealed yourself to be the kind of customer where they send the bottom-of-the-barrel team to remediate/repair the damage. Now, consider if the opposite situation occurred: You had damage and mitigated right away(using your own trusty, honest plumber)at your expense, knowing you will insist on reimbursement from ins co later. By that I mean, perhaps a bypassed pipe, mopping up of water so no further damage was done, maybe get some fans in there. You have at least a simple understanding of how mold remediation works (fans, ripping out walls, testing for mold by an expert company who gives you documents and pamphlets to explain what to do, what to look for). You have a GC come and write up an estimate of what must be repaired, replaced and what it will cost to do so. You would then understand that it costs money to remove a counter and it risks being damaged. The cost to replace moldy cabinets, walls and floors. You would've reviewed your insurance policy with a fine tooth comb, and had an expert read it so you have a great understanding of your rights. You have investigated somewhere to live while the repairs happen, and how much the ins co will have to spend to pay for that rental/hotel. How much will the move cost? You needed facts and figures. At that point, you would've known this repair will cost a LOT more than the ins co's offer. Which is the strongest negotiating strategy?