Homeowners wind claim question.

[WinoBlues]

California
Wind claim. Tree on roof and fence down. Fence is 6' cedar.
Farmers policy
Replacement cost policy.

So over the last couple of week our part of California has had a lot of rain and high winds.

A family member's large Pepper Tree came down onto his roof. Damaged some of the 10 yr old roofing but no structural damage.

Also blew down some fencing and loosened more. About 10 years old.

The tree has already been removed.

Questions:
Deductible - adjuster is saying the roof and fence are separate deductibles. However, it was the same event. Shouldn't it be one deductible?

Fence - Again California - the adjuster is saying California is disallowing replacement wood fencing. Has to be metal or maybe vinyl. Of course the owner is happy to get a new steel fence as long as he does not have to pay the huge difference in cost. Does replacement cost cover state forced upgrades?

The adjuster has not shown up. The owner is having to send pictures via an app and get quotes. He is going to the agents office tomorrow. Who has been vague over the phone.

There have been trees down through out the area, so I am sure they are working this as a cat with outside adjusters

 

[fed up]

Separate events in same storm. Tree caused the damage to the house, wind caused the damage to the fence unless the same tree knocked the fence down. State mandate could cause the fence to be covered because of change to code.

 

[Policy Monkey]

California
Wind claim. Tree on roof and fence down. Fence is 6' cedar.
Farmers policy
Replacement cost policy.

So over the last couple of week our part of California has had a lot of rain and high winds.

A family member's large Pepper Tree came down onto his roof. Damaged some of the 10 yr old roofing but no structural damage.

Also blew down some fencing and loosened more. About 10 years old.

The tree has already been removed.

Questions:
Deductible - adjuster is saying the roof and fence are separate deductibles. However, it was the same event. Shouldn't it be one deductible?

Fence - Again California - the adjuster is saying California is disallowing replacement wood fencing. Has to be metal or maybe vinyl. Of course the owner is happy to get a new steel fence as long as he does not have to pay the huge difference in cost. Does replacement cost cover state forced upgrades?

The adjuster has not shown up. The owner is having to send pictures via an app and get quotes. He is going to the agents office tomorrow. Who has been vague over the phone.

There have been trees down through out the area, so I am sure they are working this as a cat with outside adjusters

First, a disclaimer: I am a 10+ year P&C agent, but only in Florida. I'm sure California has many state-specific laws and regulations, but I'll give the best general advice I can.

First things first, read the policy. And I mean the whole policy, not just the Declarations or Checklist of Coverage. The early sections could clearly say that something is covered, but there could be an endorsement at the end that changes or removes the coverage. Answers to all your questions are spelled out in the policy language, though you may need to dust off your legalese dictionary.

Second, it seems to me that the tree/roof and fence damages have the same proximate cause (high winds), so I would think they would be considered one event with one deductible. With that said, more and more carriers in FL are applying separate roof deductibles for certain losses like wind/hurricane. Not sure if that applies in CA, but again, it would be spelled out in the policy.

Down here, the upgrades to the fence would be covered by the Ordinance or Law section, which covers increased repair costs due to state or local laws or ordinances. That coverage is mandatory in FL (with optional opt-out), so check the policy to see if it applies.

I hope this helps.

 

[adjusterjack]

The owner is ...is going to the agents office tomorrow.

I tend to agree that wind is the proximate cause of all the damage and there should be only one deductible for the claim.

However, I would have to read the entire policy and all of its attachments to be sure of that.

Farmers' website does not address deductibles but it does show that Building Ordinance or Law is an optional coverage.

The insured should go through his policy and all its attachments line by line because not everything is in the big booklet. Some things have separate forms attached to the booklet.

 

[marindependent]

Also blew down some fencing and loosened more. About 10 years old.

Question - does the policy cover the fence for Replacement or ACV?

the adjuster is saying California is disallowing replacement wood fencing.

I would push for a specific ordinance here?

California is an "efficient proximate cause" state.

 

[WinoBlues]

Thanks guys.

I'm going to see if I can get a copy of his policy.

@marindependent replacement or ACV? I'll have him ask the agent to show him in the policy. Thanks

Lee