Unsurprisingly I'm a bit miffed with my insurance company as it relates to my wind and rain claim for Hurricane Ida. It's been a MONTH since the storm and I am still waiting approval for my roof estimate as well as mitigation and rebuilding. While I do have the cash to cover my deductibles, I don't have the liquid funds to be able to pay the nearly $30,000 to fix just the roof. I can't do much of anything else until that is done, so I wait. They did send me a whopping $6,999 initial check with another $5,000 promised once I prove I've repaired the roof, but there are estimates that need to be approved before I'll get anything more for the house.

I've been told by a few folks that I should get a public adjuster, but I know nothing about them. Any thoughts would be welcome.

I would not bother. I went through Katrina which was in August and had similar issues. I used my tax estimate to pay for my roof. . My adjuster showed up in late November and it was then a period of negotiation. All insurance companies use computer programs to figure cost. I then had to deal with my mortgage company since the check was made out to me and the mortgage company. Good luck

In general, Public Adjuster's (PA) may complicate and drag things out, think ambulance chasers. That being said, there are certainly some good ones out there that truly do a wonderful job. Each state is different in what a PA license is worth and what they may do for their clients.

In short, I would not jump to hire one yet, if at all.

Who came out to prepare the estimate for the roof damage? Was the damaged roof tarped/shrink wrapped? Was there any interior damage and if yes, was that damage included in the estimate that was sent to the carrier?

While carriers and contractors will often use software to determine cost, it's really the scope of work that needs to be agreed upon. The cost is the cost and the software should not dictate the cost. It's a violation of the service agreements to not allow changing a price within the estimating software. Yes, there are exceptions to that if there are vendors agreements in place. If no agreement, the price is not set by the software. Doing so would essentially be price fixing.

One month after a large storm is not surprising, really.

But you might consider consulting with a lawyer who brings claims against insurers. Those guys advertise after storms, and should not be hard to find.

No, they are not. PA’s jack up their estimates because they get on average 10% of your insurance claim. They generally slow down the claims process to put pressure on the insurance company and you are the one who suffers. Some PA contracts state that the insurance company cannot communicate with you once you sign up, so you end up over a barrel. They are ambulance chasers plain and simple. Also, their name will be included on the check from the insurer and that’s a nightmare.

Who is your insurance company? Did they send an independent adjuster out to look at your damage or a company adjuster?

My advice is to hire a reputable local contractor to provide you an estimate and send it to your claim rep. Estimating software is not going to be too accurate right now because of the materials shortages and price increases. If you don’t get a response, call and ask for a supervisor. Just remember, everyone in the industry is swamped right now. Most inside reps have 80-100 claims.

Is your roof tarped? You mentioned mitigation, do you still have water in the house? Any mold issues?

Thanks for the replies y'all. I've got a busy day so it'll be a while before I can comment other than to say that my roof was tarped a couple of days after the storm, there is significant water damage in my house, and mold is becoming an issue though not nearly as much or as fast as with flood water. Thanks.

It’s your responsibility to protect your property from further damage which includes getting the water damage inside addressed and many policies don’t pay for mold and especially if the owner just lets it sit wet. The ins co can’t actually hire someone to fix your house only you can do that.

I would suggest asking them if they have a preferred vendor for water mitigation and just use them. If they don’t just hire ServiceMaster or ServPro.

What was said above about PAs is spot on.

With water damage on the interior of the house, I recommend getting dehumidification within the structure ASAP. Do not bring in air movers.

While it does vary from policy to policy and state to state, generally mold resulting from a covered loss will be covered. That being said, as Strambo pointed out, it may be capped as far as coverage goes.

Wind driven hurricane rains are considered a Category 3 loss. As a result, carpet/pad, drywall, baseboards, laminates and the likes are to be removed. Essentially getting the structure down to the framing in the areas impacted. From there it's a matter of addressing any mold then drying the structure before starting repairs.

I have been through several hurricanes and dealing with insurance adjusters. After Katrina the adjusters had armed guards around the RV park where they were staying. Unless they are total jerks be nice to them. Realize that the insurance company wants to cut a check and move on. As I said earlier I waited FOUR months for an adjuster. They have a fair amount of leeway in adjusting the claim. They go off the computer estimate which changes daily due to price fluctuations. They will pay for the ruined contents of your refrigerator and freezer. If you have trees on your roof they will pay to have them taken off your roof. Cutting it up and hauling it off is on you.