According to the Sun Sentinel, policyholders of Avatar Property & Casualty Insurance Co. had until April 13 to find new carriers…and it doesn’t appear that any private carrier is offering to absorb these policies in the same way that Slide did with St. Johns Insurance, which went into receivership in February.
Since January, Florida’s home insurance availability crisis worsened with a total of seven insurers announcing that they have stopped writing new business in the state, including St. John’s Insurance Corp., Lighthouse Property Insurance and United Property & Casualty. Others, such as Progressive and American Coastal, are not renewing existing policies if the homes are past a certain age or their roofs are more than 10 years old.
As a result of this, policyholders are left frustrated, stressed, and confused.
If you’re a policyholder and this is happening to you, we strongly recommend you contact your agent about your insurance options. But before you do, here are the questions you need to ask your agent:
- Does my policy cover water damage that occurs more than 14 days IF that damage is hidden? (Desired answer: Yes.)
- Does my policy allow Assignment of Benefits? (Desired answer: Yes.)
- Does my policy require me to use a managed repair program? (Desired answer: No. This is when the insurance company picks the contractors and pays them directly.)
- Does my policy cover mold testing and remediation? (Desired answer: Yes. Note: most people have a $10k mold cap; because mold remediation can get so expensive, you might want to look into increasing your mold cap.)
If you need a property claim expert to review your policy? Contact the experienced attorneys at Insurance Litigation Group for a policy claim review at no cost to you. For all your property damage claim needs, we are here. We fight for you!
