Displaying posts filed under

Repairing Sinkholes

Jul
26
2010
Repairing Sinkholes By Morgan Barfield | 6 comments

Check Foundation Repair Company with Better Business Bureau

Check your foundation repair company to ensure your home is being properly remediated. As much as we discuss insurance companies and their tactics, there are times when they do the right thing and an attorney is not necessary. In those cases, the homeowner is on their own to find a foundation repair company to fix [...]

Jul
23
2010
Insurance Policies and Coverage Issues, Repairing Sinkholes By Morgan Barfield | 2 comments

Ongoing Sinkhole Activity

If my insurance company paid to grout my house, how can I still have ongoing sinkhole activity? This is a common issue we face and could be the result of numerous individual issues or several of these issues working together. The first issue is that grout alone will never guaranty that sinkhole activity will never [...]

Jul
16
2010
Finding Sinkholes, Insurance Policies and Coverage Issues, Repairing Sinkholes By Morgan Barfield | 1 comment

Sinkholes and Adjacent Home Damage

The existence of and repair to an adjacent home for sinkhole damage is one of the more the dimensional issues when it comes to sinkhole claims. This is because there are two issues in this question, one of which relates to your own sinkhole insurance policy, and the other, which arise from your neighbor’s sinkhole insurance policy.

Jun
7
2010
Finding Sinkholes, Repairing Sinkholes By Morgan Barfield | No comments yet

How Rainfall Can Effect Sinkholes

Because the energy behind sinkholes is water, the rise and fall of the water table often causes additional activity. As the water washes over limestone, it increases the dissolution of the rock and continues to move soil away from the location. By so doing, the limestone is more like to sink or move. During seasonal changes, the action of water then causes more of settlement.

May
18
2010
Insurance Policies and Coverage Issues, Repairing Sinkholes By Morgan Barfield | No comments yet

Tips Dealing with Insurance Companies on Sinkhole Repairs

Next suggestion: always raise your concerns with the insurance company in writing, both to your claims adjuster and your insurance agent. Many times, insurance claim representatives have a difficult time separating what is a “problem” versus what is just common frustrations of an insured. If you submit your concerns in writing, and tell them exactly what you want them to do, it makes it clear you have defined your expectations. That way, you will both know if the issue has been resolved.

May
14
2010
Finding Sinkholes, Repairing Sinkholes By Morgan Barfield | No comments yet

Sinkhole Testing On Condos and Apartment Buildings

The larger the building or lot, the more testing is required. If you have a condominium complex where a sinkhole investigation is being completed, the investigation should relate in some way to the size of the building. Ordinarily, most engineering firms will conduct 3 standard penetration tests on a standard home site. Using this as a baseline, while not an exact comparison, I would expect a larger condo property to have considerably more borings on the property.

May
12
2010
Insurance Policies and Coverage Issues, Repairing Sinkholes By Morgan Barfield | No comments yet

Sinkhole Claims and Hurricane Season

If you have cracks in your stucco due to sinkhole settlement, you can get paid for it. You cannot also submit this same damage for payment under the hurricane claim. However, sinkhole repairs are unique, and could be paid for subsurface repairs under a different set of coverage limits. Suffice to say, these claims are complicated, but do happen regularly.

May
4
2010
Insurance Policies and Coverage Issues, Repairing Sinkholes By Morgan Barfield | No comments yet

Caught in the Middle between Insurance and Construction Companies

It is common for insureds to get caught between insurance companies and construction companies in these situations. We frequently see homeowners who battle with the contractors for years (with no success), only to find out the home had actually be built on a sinkhole prone area. While this may seem unfair, it is not. The insurance company can actually sue the construction company in a claim associated with recovering any payments made to you. This is referred to as “subrogation,” and is a part of the insurance process.

Apr
30
2010
Insurance Policies and Coverage Issues, Repairing Sinkholes, Sinkholes in the News By Morgan Barfield | No comments yet

Water District Seeks to Limit Farmer Pumping During Freezes to Reduce Sinkhole Potential

Hundreds of homeowners faced residual issues with dry wells or activated sinkholes during the freezes of 2008-2010. The district and advisory board seem to want to walk the thin line between harming the local farming industry by taking away their ability to protect their crops and dealing with the resultant dry wells and sinkholes as they have for the past two winters.

Apr
22
2010
Insurance Policies and Coverage Issues, Repairing Sinkholes By Morgan Barfield | No comments yet

Changes in Sinkhole Laws Impacting Policyholder Rights – Part 2

The problem with the new bill is that it then places a huge monkey on the back of a policyholder. Specifically, if you, as a homeowner, want to dispute the findings of the original engineering firm, you can hire your own expert. Even if your expert does more advance testing, provides a more cohesive explanation for the damage, the insurance company gets the benefit of the doubt.

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