Who has Foremost Insurance?
Moderators: Greg, Mark, mhrAJ333, JD
Does anyone have this insurance, and if so, have you ever filed a claim and had it paid? I ask because I have some water damage that I'm going to file a claim on. I googled "foremost insurance" and found a BOATLOAD of horror stories, many of which were about water damage. I am hoping to find some happy stories out there.
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RumCreeker
- Posts: 16
- Joined: Mon Feb 26, 2007 10:27 pm
Our home was destroyed by a tree. We have Foremost, and they were prompt and fair.
I have dealt with foremost more times than I can remember as a contractor and they have always been fair. The adjusters use Exactimate software which often seems to be a little short of the contractor's estimate for the repairs. I dunno, maybe 80% of the time with me. but they have always issued a supplemental to total my estimate, less the deductible. An adjuster who will work the software can get the money required for the repair. For instance, in doing an underbelly/insulation repair. The software gives a pittance for the actual underbelly and insulation. But if the adjuster adds time for access to the repair spot, pull and resetting of the skirting, block and framing as needed to support the underbelly, then you got plenty of money.
Over the years, there has been some changes though. I think this is true with all insurance. Foremost now has a mold exclusion, or maybe it is something they are just enforcing now. Here is where the adjuster can help you or hurt you. He may pay to have a wall painted because he sees a water line, even though mold is present. He may not include it because he sees it as a mold issue. Either way, they won't pay or be involved with mold remediation.
They also seem to take the "sudden and accidental" phrase to heart more now. In years past, we were always fixing water damage with dry rot. Floor joist, rim joist, wall framing and ceiling rafters. Now it seems that if there is any dry rot, they will say that the repair and claim was not made in a timely fashion, and only pay on what would have been the immediate damage if fixed promptly or reject the claim all together.
If you feel the claim adjuster did not treat you right, you can always appeal to supervisors. Foremost is a good professional in that way. They will listen to your concerns and sincerely make efforts to be equitable. That does not mean you always win. But I have found that they hold true to the verbiage within your policy. At least this has been my experience in dealing with Foremost claims for over 20 years.
JMO
JD
Over the years, there has been some changes though. I think this is true with all insurance. Foremost now has a mold exclusion, or maybe it is something they are just enforcing now. Here is where the adjuster can help you or hurt you. He may pay to have a wall painted because he sees a water line, even though mold is present. He may not include it because he sees it as a mold issue. Either way, they won't pay or be involved with mold remediation.
They also seem to take the "sudden and accidental" phrase to heart more now. In years past, we were always fixing water damage with dry rot. Floor joist, rim joist, wall framing and ceiling rafters. Now it seems that if there is any dry rot, they will say that the repair and claim was not made in a timely fashion, and only pay on what would have been the immediate damage if fixed promptly or reject the claim all together.
If you feel the claim adjuster did not treat you right, you can always appeal to supervisors. Foremost is a good professional in that way. They will listen to your concerns and sincerely make efforts to be equitable. That does not mean you always win. But I have found that they hold true to the verbiage within your policy. At least this has been my experience in dealing with Foremost claims for over 20 years.
JMO
JD
☯JD♫
Today is PERFECT!
All information and advice given is for entertainment and informational purposes only. The person doing the work is solely responsible to insure that their work complies with their local building code and OSHA safety regulations.
Today is PERFECT!
All information and advice given is for entertainment and informational purposes only. The person doing the work is solely responsible to insure that their work complies with their local building code and OSHA safety regulations.
Yeah, the "sudden and accidental" part is what worries me. I 'm pretty sure that the area of subfloor that needs to be replaced is about a 4'x4' area. The problem is that part of that area is underneath kitchen cabinets, and I have no idea how those cabinets can be removed from the wall without tearing them all to pieces. The rest of the floor is inside of the closet thingy that houses part of our split system hvac. We're going to likely have that thing removed and replaced with a packaged heat pump so that we never have to worry about this again.
Also, the bottom of my walls are damp, but only about an inch up from the floor, if even that much. I'm just scared to death that they aren't going to pay the claim. The hvac man that came out today said that it's likely coming from a cracked pan (which is plastic, btw). So it's not like a pipe under the sink busted. It was impossible to know that it was going on since we don't regularly take the cover off of the bottom and actually look in there. Had I not removed part of the covering from the wallboard, I wouldn't have realized that the wall was wet. UGH. I'm so stressed!
Should I get contractors out here first to give an estimate on repairs, or should I contact the adjuster first?
Sorry for the rambling, I'm just really worried.
Also, the bottom of my walls are damp, but only about an inch up from the floor, if even that much. I'm just scared to death that they aren't going to pay the claim. The hvac man that came out today said that it's likely coming from a cracked pan (which is plastic, btw). So it's not like a pipe under the sink busted. It was impossible to know that it was going on since we don't regularly take the cover off of the bottom and actually look in there. Had I not removed part of the covering from the wallboard, I wouldn't have realized that the wall was wet. UGH. I'm so stressed!
Should I get contractors out here first to give an estimate on repairs, or should I contact the adjuster first?
Sorry for the rambling, I'm just really worried.
I just went and pulled up the vinyl plank flooring that we have in our living/dining room (which is next to the area of the hvac). There's mold underneath there. I'm going to have a nervous breakdown worrying over this. Now that I see there's mold under there, I'm even MORE afraid that they won't pay me one dime. I'm also worried about the health effects of the mold. We're going to replace the subflooring, but I'm wondering if I should try to clean that part of the floor in case the adjuster looks under it? We cannot afford to have a claim denied, especially when we're looking at having to pay money to either get our current hvac fixed, or install a new one.
Oh yeah, yesterday hubby went under the house and there was water in the ducts. I just read online that mold can grow in there too, so at this point I feel pretty strongly about having a unit outside, with none of the inside stuff to worry about.
Oh yeah, yesterday hubby went under the house and there was water in the ducts. I just read online that mold can grow in there too, so at this point I feel pretty strongly about having a unit outside, with none of the inside stuff to worry about.
DIY, take a deep breath and try to relax some.
First things first, You need to get some air moving to dry things up and use a bleach mix to kill the mold. Once things are dried up you can get a better handle on the damage.
Depending on how wet things are under the home you may want to open the skirting up in a few places to let air under there also. Greg
First things first, You need to get some air moving to dry things up and use a bleach mix to kill the mold. Once things are dried up you can get a better handle on the damage.
Depending on how wet things are under the home you may want to open the skirting up in a few places to let air under there also. Greg
"If I can't fix it, I can screw it up so bad no one else can either."
We have a brick foundation, so the only thing we can really do is open up the vents and the access doors.
I cut some of the linoleum away so that air can get to at least SOME of the wet stuff. From what I can see, it doesn't look like mold is out of control. I see some, but it's not alot.
The real problem is that I have to get that hvac thing out of my house so that I can let the area around and underneath it dry out. Also, the wet flooring is underneath my kitchen cabinets. I'm not sure how we're going to safely remove the cabinets without tearing them up. The end/side of the cabinets "butt up" to the wall that houses the hvac unit. Our plan is to have a pro remove the unit, then hubby will tear away all the the wall board. We're hoping that once that's done, it will be easier to see how the cabinets are attached to the wall.
Also, if we remove the top cabinets (in case we want/need to put in new sheetrock), we have ZERO idea as to how to get them down. When we look inside the cabinets, we cannot see any nails or screws or anything that's holding the upper cabinets to the wall. Anyone know how these are attached?
I'll try to post photos of my kitchen in a little while.
I cut some of the linoleum away so that air can get to at least SOME of the wet stuff. From what I can see, it doesn't look like mold is out of control. I see some, but it's not alot.
The real problem is that I have to get that hvac thing out of my house so that I can let the area around and underneath it dry out. Also, the wet flooring is underneath my kitchen cabinets. I'm not sure how we're going to safely remove the cabinets without tearing them up. The end/side of the cabinets "butt up" to the wall that houses the hvac unit. Our plan is to have a pro remove the unit, then hubby will tear away all the the wall board. We're hoping that once that's done, it will be easier to see how the cabinets are attached to the wall.
Also, if we remove the top cabinets (in case we want/need to put in new sheetrock), we have ZERO idea as to how to get them down. When we look inside the cabinets, we cannot see any nails or screws or anything that's holding the upper cabinets to the wall. Anyone know how these are attached?
I'll try to post photos of my kitchen in a little while.
Well, I can tell you first hand that in most cases the original mobile home cabinets come out in pieces. They are built in the home, not as an assembly. I know that is not what you wanted to hear, but....
I know that you really do want a new kitchen (just not the price that goes with) but if you do you homework, and some shopping it does not have to cost a small fortune.I redid ours for around $2000 with 16 new cabinets, floor & countertop. Greg
I know that you really do want a new kitchen (just not the price that goes with) but if you do you homework, and some shopping it does not have to cost a small fortune.I redid ours for around $2000 with 16 new cabinets, floor & countertop. Greg
"If I can't fix it, I can screw it up so bad no one else can either."
Greg, I read a post of yours talking about Sunco cabinets. I would love to look into these, but owuld need to find a dealer close to me. I'm in the Raleigh area. I contacted Sunco through the link on their site (regarding finding a dealer), and they never got back to me.
I got ours through Grossman's Mr Seconds, it is an overstock type store, so you could look in those type of stores in your area. you do assemble them yourself so the boxes are small and can be hard to spot just walking through the store. Greg
"If I can't fix it, I can screw it up so bad no one else can either."
The guy that's doing our new hvac (Carrier packaged heat pump - YAY!!) said that regardless of the horror stories I've heard, it won't hurt to get an adjuster out here. If they don't pay the claim, then it doesn't go on my record (is that right)? If that's the case, I have nothing to lose. If they refuse to pay, I shouldn't have a problem getting mobile home insurance at another company since I'll have no paid claims. I'm prepared to not get jack. I'd feel a little more confidant if I could find something GOOD on the web about them, lol.
