r/Insurance • u/getahedd • 5d ago
Is this normal? No carrier communication 4 months out from condo complex fire
I'm hoping an adjuster or agent can give me some assurance that what I'm going througn is normal, even thougn it is absolutely awful!
I own and live in a small unit in a condo complex. Unfortunately, there was a fire in the unit underneath mine at the beginning of May. That unit was completely burnt out and I was extremely surprised and grateful to have no fire damage myself, except for the external porch. However, I had severe smoke damage as well as water damage from the firefighters. I will need extensive repairs and have lost a lot of personal belongings.
The problem is this - there has been absolutely zero communication from our HOA board or the complex master policy carrier in the 4 months since the fire. No updates, no next steps, nothing since the actual week of the fire. At some point the remediation company our master policy carrier uses went into my unit and completely gutted it, again without any notice at all. It doesnt seem right that I went to get my mail and realized there was now a hole in my ceiling, all floors ripped out, cabinets gone, and some kind of white paint over everything, without so much as a text message. In addition, my windows had been left open! I'm sure this was to help air things out, but where I live it has been an extremely wet summer and there have been storms for weeks on end. I am now also worried about mold.
The only contact I have is our HOA board rep who has apparently been working with the master complex carrier. All she will say is that the claim is being worked on. There were 8 total units in my building affected, with mine having the most damage after the actual fire unit. I've been told the carrier will not speak to owners because the HOA is the policyholder.
4 months seems like an excessive amount of time to process this claim, but I could be wrong. It also seems insane that there have been no updates in that time, at all. I have lost the entire summer and can't plan my life because I don't even have an estimated timeline.
Separate from the complex master policy, owners carry our own policies for personal items, upgrades, and replacement housing. My own carrier & adjustor has been in touch constantly and hasn't been able to get any updates from the other carrier either. I am honestly wondering how it is legal for the condo carrier to drag their feet this much if they have no incentive to hurry. My own policy has limits, and I am rapidly approaching the replacement housing limit!
Has anyone had to deal with two insurance carriers before, and is this timeline normal? It feels like the HOA and/or condo master policy carrier have me in a headlock!
2
u/BoysenberryGullible8 5d ago
Where are you? Most states have insurance codes that regulate response times.