Contact a lawyer that deals in property damage. If your in a large city, you may be able to get one that specifically deals in your type of case.
It will depend on your policy though. If I remember my policy correctly, they will pay replacement cost only if I actually replace the item. If I choose to cash it out, they will cut me a check instead for the depreciated value.It probably means deductions from the payout due to age of the items (insurance often won't pay out full price for items which wear out, unless brand new - they'll estimate how much life was left, and pay the proportion), and also the deductible.
Spoke to the adjuster - after taking into consideration depreciated costs and my deductible, I came out losing by a little bit. I hope they can retreive my deductible from the rental company.
My landlord has made arrangements to start fixing my apartment this Monday.
I am not happy but what can you do? I can replace stuff and send receipts if it comes out to be more than I thought. As for the furniture, I can get a professional company to restore it, and if that doesn't work, get new cushions and submit receipts.
You're a little short on details here.
Why did you have to move back to our apartment before it is repaired??
Of course your insurance company is going to replace your damaged stuff, that's what insurance is for. A laptop that was soaked in water will have a shorter life expectancy due to corrosion, mold and could become a fire hazard. You have every right to request it to be replaced.
and what's with the registered letter?
Registered letter was the lease renewal. I have a feeling they won't fix anything since it's time to get the lease renewed. I am going to do a wait and see approach before I sign anything. It's weird they sent it via certified mail.
I have no choice - I spent 5 days with my mom, but I can't travel to work from Jersey, and at my brothers house now. It's just annoying not being home. Things are still wet, which is crazy after a week. The walls are soft and the closets stink bad.
I'm not an insurance expert, nor a lawyer. But, the purpose of renter's insurance is to cover those things - afaik, there's no legal obligation on the LL to cover such things. If there was, then there would be no point in having renter's insurance.When you say, "I came out losing a bit", what does that mean? they should have covered everything! If the sofa is soaked, get it fixed in the best way you can to bring it back up the condition it was in before the accident. same with everything else.
You are right in that you probably have further claims that need to be brought directly to the LL or APT owner's insurance. basically it should work like this.
sofa if soaked, and probably moldy now. take it to a professional repair place or have them come look at it and get an estimate to fix it. If they say it will cost $500 to fix it like new, then that's your claim. if renters insurance paid you $200 for the depreciated value or whatever, that's fine, you claim to the LL is diminished to $300. Their obligation is NOT to give you estimated depreciated value of something. Their obligation is to bring the item back to the condition it was in before the accident. I may be wrong here, but I would fight like hell to make sure you get your stuff back to the way it was.
It depends on what his policy covers. E.g., as someone suggested above, there are huge differences in what insurance policies will do; and it comes down to what you pay for. E.g., I pay to have the replacement value of items I own, rather than pay for the value of the item at the time it's destroyed. If there were to be a fire, I don't want $5 per pair of dress pants that I own - I'm going to need to have to replace my wardrobe. It costs a little more for that insurance. OP hasn't said what kind of coverage he has.Your insurance should be paying for you to live at a hotel until the appartment is repaired.
I'm not an insurance expert, nor a lawyer. But, the purpose of renter's insurance is to cover those things - afaik, there's no legal obligation on the LL to cover such things. If there was, then there would be no point in having renter's insurance.
It depends on what his policy covers. E.g., as someone suggested above, there are huge differences in what insurance policies will do; and it comes down to what you pay for. E.g., I pay to have the replacement value of items I own, rather than pay for the value of the item at the time it's destroyed. If there were to be a fire, I don't want $5 per pair of dress pants that I own - I'm going to need to have to replace my wardrobe. It costs a little more for that insurance. OP hasn't said what kind of coverage he has.
OP seems awfully insecure, he doesn't know what he is entitled to or how to find out. Sad really.
Pretty much. As the days pass by I get more and more pissed...and being a newlywed person, it's put an incredible strain on my marriage. I had a really nice apartment before and the work the building is doing is quite frankly...horrible.
I really feel like moving but it's an awesome location, and the rent is very good. My wife loves the area too, but right now getting this apartment fixed will be a huge drain on the wallet.
I am mattress shopping now and I can't believe how expensive a good mattress is - when I got my mattress I was single, but now that I have a wife, medical expenses...etc.etc...I am having a hard time justifying buying something as nice as I had before.
But nothing hurts more than looking at non-smooth walls and ceilings now. Everyone who came to my apartment always complimented how nice it was; and now it just looks like shit.
It's really taking a toll on me and the wife emotionally - we were really proud of the place and now we feel like section 8 renters. :\
Mattress has an expected life of 10 years.What about your insurance? Wouldn't your renter's insurance cover the replacement cost of your mattress?
Mattress has an expected life of 10 years.
Cost have risen and the depreciation.
OP - what is your renter's insurance coming up with respect to claims on items, electronics and depreciation of items?
You should be able to file a claim against the owner for your deductible.
And if your place is not livable during renovation; someone should be covering the cost differential.
What does your policy say? Do you get replacement or actual value? If it is replacement, it should really be covering the cost to actually replace stuff. If it is actually value, you're going to get screwed because of depreciation.I got pretty much what I lost - minus deductible and depreciation. I have enough to cover my mattress and maybe a laptop if I am lucky.
I honestly don't know if my insurance is going after my deductible or if I have to do it myself. The adjuster has gone silent and I haven't received a check or anything yet. I am buying stuff on my own dime right now, and am hoping I'll get a check from them later to pay it off.
Mattress has an expected life of 10 years.
He should be thankful that the shit did not hit the fan...what a mess that would have been!!wow did the ceiling collapse on you?
OP..take comfort that jesus still loves you!!It's really taking a toll on me and the wife emotionally - we were really proud of the place and now we feel like section 8 renters.
it does not work that way....those are the sad facts! All the landlord is responsible for is fixing the apartment!On the other hand, you could probably bring a claim against the landlord to cover your loses and make you financially whole since it was his fault
What does your policy say? Do you get replacement or actual value? If it is replacement, it should really be covering the cost to actually replace stuff. If it is actually value, you're going to get screwed because of depreciation.
On the other hand, you could probably bring a claim against the landlord to cover your loses and make you financially whole since it was his fault.