Twice Denied Homeowners Insurance Claim Leads to New Roof

Property damage may include damage to your home, your patio furniture, your fence, your mailbox, or any other belonging to your property. How much you may be able to recover for your property damage can be determined by proof of replacement value, repair costs, the inability of use until fixed or replaced.

Having a roof insurance claim denied is common. Luckily, a roof damage claim denial does not have to be the last word. Understanding the insurance claim process and how to challenge an insurance denial is a valuable skill for every homeowner. In most situations, your homeowner’s insurance covers roof damages due to a storm. You can expect a claim rejection letter if the peril is excluded by your homeowner’s insurance policy. Knowing what your homeowner’s insurance policy excludes is very important. Some standard homeowners insurance policies (HO-3) cover common disasters, but not everything. Some insurance policies have separate wind and hail damage deductibles. Make sure to read your policy carefully to understand what damage is covered.

It Was the Other Storm’s Fault

In the spring of 2016, the Spring, Texas area experienced a wind and hail storm that damaged the roof and exterior of our clients’ home. Our clients, one a 40-year plus emergency room nurse, filed a homeowners insurance claim with their insurer who sent out an adjuster who wrote the damage off as minimal and failed to cover the damage to the roof. The adjuster claimed the roof damage was less than $1000 and under the deductible, even though other houses in the neighborhood received new roofs due to the wind and hail damage. Our clients trusted the results the insurance company provided them with and did not pursue any action after the initial insurance claim denial.

Then came Hurricane Harvey a year later and the roof leaks that followed. Our clients filed another homeowners insurance claim to which their insurance company responded by sending out another adjuster, who came back telling them the roof leaks were a result of previous damage and/or wear and tear, not the storm. That meant the insurance company most likely misrepresented the scope of damages during the first claim back in 2016. Having experience with one denied homeowners insurance claim already, our clients called us to take their case. Our own third-party adjuster concluded the damage from the hailstorm in 2016 that went unrepaired was exacerbated by Hurricane Harvey and ultimately the fault of the insurance company for not fixing the repairs before the hurricane’s impact.

Bad Faith Insurance Claim Seeks Redemption

If the insurance company had fixed the repairs to the home from the initial claim, the damages inflicted during Hurricane Harvey would have been reduced or less severe. We filed suit and sent a demand letter to the insurance company, who settled at mediation with us and provided the funds for the repairs to the exterior of the home as well as a brand new roof for our clients.

Because an insurance company has an obligation of good faith and fairness with the people it insures, those who believe an insurance company has not acted fairly and in good faith also can have a claim for common law bad faith and statutory violations. The Texas Insurance Code also provides the rules for how insurers must behave towards policyholders.

Houston Property Insurance Lawyers

Has your homeowner’s or commercial business insurance claim been denied? We can help. Representing thousands of clients against big insurance companies, our insurance claims attorneys aggressively protect the rights of the policyholder. Our consultations are free, and you owe us nothing until we win your case. Contact us today.

Windstorm Rips Through Plano

June 9th, 2019 was a rough day in North Dallas. The region experienced powerful windstorms that toppled a crane, caused extensive damage to crops, and killed a young woman in Dallas. The massive amounts of ping pong ball-sized hail caused considerable roof damage to numerous properties and left thousands without power. Our client, a longtime resident of Plano, Texas was one of the many homeowners impacted by the storm.

Up, Up, And Away…

Weather reports show average wind speeds during the daylight hours at a whopping 70 miles per hour. Plano saw many of its power poles and large trees knocked down by the winds. Large tree limbs with a circumference of 6 inches are larger broke under the tremendous winds, creating considerable damage on their way down. At our client’s property, the windstorm built up enough pressure to tear the chimney off the roof, ultimately smashing down onto the cab of our client’s neighbors’ truck. Some minor water damage did occur due to the hole in the roof where the chimney used to be. The bulk of the windstorm damage happened to the outside of the home.

Experience Makes Satisfied Clients

Our client was compelled to hire us to represent them and mitigate the property damages that happened to the roof and interior of the home. We were able to hold the insurance company accountable for their role in processing our client’s claim and made them honor their contract with the insured. With a new chimney shroud and no water leaks through the roof, our satisfied client is now enjoying the closure and payout that comes from hiring one of our experienced insurance claims attorneys.

Houston Property Insurance Lawyers

We can help with your homeowner’s insurance claim denial. Our experienced property insurance attorneys have represented more than 1,000 clients in cases against insurance companies and aggressively protect the rights of insurance policyholders. Consultations are free. Contact us today.

A Houston client was forced to sue her insurance company, Allstate, because of the mismanagement of her claim and the actions of Allstate’s engineer and two of their adjusters. Allstate underpaid the claim after our client was initially told that all storm damages would be covered. Allstate then had a second inspection and hired an engineer to try to underpay our client and blame her for the interior damage to the property.

Thunderstorm Brings Violent Storm Damage

On February 25, 2018, a swath of thunderstorms pummeled the Houston area, filling the sky with lightning and torrential rains. Many residents experience power loss for several hours as a result of the high winds. The windstorm tore shingles from our client’s roof, which resulted in a leak that developed into pools of water on the kitchen floor. The water damaged the walls and flooring of her home.

Double Talk And The Run Around

At the initial inspection, Allstate’s representative told the insured that the damages were storm-related and would be covered under the policy. Instead of issuing payment, Allstate sent out a second adjuster who reviewed the damage and pinned the interior damage completely on our client. This second adjuster stated that there was damage to the roof,  but none of the interior damage was a result of the storm.  After months of no response from Allstate, they hired an engineer to justify the findings of the second adjuster.

Our third-party adjuster reviewed the damage just as Allstate had and determined there were some $12,000 in damages that Allstate had missed. Through our efforts, our client was able to replace the roof and repair all of the interior storm damage.

Houston Property Insurance Lawyers

Has your homeowner’s insurance claim been denied? We can help. Representing thousands of clients against big insurance companies, our home insurance claims attorneys aggressively protect the rights of the policyholder. Our consultations are free, and you owe us nothing until we win your case. Contact us today.

Wind and Hailstorm Damage in Houston

Our client’s office building was severely damaged in the wind and hailstorm that occurred in Houston on January 8th, 2016. The lawsuit against the Hanover Insurance Group was unavoidable due to their practices and the handling of our client’s insurance claim. Without anywhere else to turn, our client chose to hire us to make sure Hanover Insurance honored their commitment and paid for roof and damaged air conditioning units.

Huge Hail Causes Havoc in Houston

The wind and hailstorm dropped golfball-sized hail in Houston and the surrounding areas. The local news stations were inundated with images of people holding huge balls of hail. Our client’s property was a large commercial office building built in 1974, which featured five individual modified bitumen-style roofs. All of the facility’s air conditioning units were destroyed by the hailstorm. The roof-mounted units did not stand a chance against the sheer destructive force of the storm. Some exterior damage to the roof itself also occurred.

The Wind and Hailstorm Claim

Hanover Insurance outright denied our client’s insurance claim, stating after sending four of their adjusters, that no damage had occurred. Seeing that negotiating with their insurance company was a dead end, our client chose to sue Hanover Insurance. Our third-party adjusters evaluated the damage to the office building and determined the real property damage was far greater than nothing.

After mediation, our client was able to secure the finances to repair the roof damage and have all of the damaged air conditioning units replaced. Our client’s business would resume operations and their lives could get back to normal.

Houston Property Insurance Lawyers

We can help with your commercial property insurance claim denial. Our experienced property insurance attorneys have represented more than 1,000 clients in cases against insurance companies and aggressively protect the rights of insurance policyholders. Consultations are free. Contact us today.

Law Firm Sued Allstate Insurance, We Won.

The Chad T. Wilson Law Firm sued Allstate Insurance for its role in denying our client’s insurance claim. We won.

The damage done to your home is more than a financial burden; it is also physically and emotionally draining. The effort involved to secure a reasonable outcome can be monumental. Bad homeowners insurance claims adjusters flourish in this turmoil. 

Just like one of our cases out of Harris County, on August 11th, 2016. A roaring windstorm blew through Houston, Texas on that evening. Our client’s roof damage was so bad that rainwater was able to leak into the garage ceiling and saturate the sheetrock causing the sheetrock to collapse. The lack of a garage ceiling exposed live electrical wires and junction boxes. Shortly after that, unsightly yellow water stains (the precursor to mold damage and a symptom of the water leaks) began appearing throughout the house.

We Protect Our Client’s Rights to a Fair Inspection

Allstate Insurance reviewed its adjuster’s inspection of the property and ultimately denied our client’s claim, crippling our client’s chances of any form of recovery. Not such good hands, after all. Texas protects policyholders from dishonest tactics such as these. Our third-party adjuster estimated $21,500 in real property damage to our client’s home and we were ready to go after Allstate for denying a valid claim.

Not until February 24th, 2017, did our clients have some restitution. The Chad T. Wilson Law Firm sued Allstate Insurance for its role in denying our client’s insurance claim. Repairs to our client’s home finally began late October 2019. Our clients won the case and the home was repaired.

Houston Property Insurance Lawyers
We can help with your homeowner’s insurance claim denial. Our experienced property insurance attorneys have represented over 1,000 clients in cases against insurance companies, aggressively protecting the rights of insurance policyholders. Consultations are free. Contact us today.