Preventing Further Damage to Your Property
Sinkholes damage can appear at anytime, either as a hairline crack on the exterior or interior of a building or as severe as a substantial crack or movement of the entire building. If nothing is done to stop the progression of cracking, it will continue to damage the property and ultimately increase the cost of repairs.
At The Haynes Law Firm, located in Brandon, Florida, we assist clients throughout Florida in making informed decisions in sinkhole claims. We have extensive experience with sinkhole claims as well as knowledge in insurance law that will benefit you in understanding your insurance policy and obtaining the best settlement for your sinkhole damage. Ron Haynes can assist you in determining if you may have a valid sinkhole claim at your property and offers free initial consultations.
Call Before You File A Sinkhole Claim
If you are unsure whether the damage you are seeing is sinkhole activity or not, give us a call for a free consultation and site visit. While we are unable to determine if you have sinkhole activity just by looking, we can determine based on our experience if it is likely or not that what you are experience is due to normal settlement or some other cause of the damage like sinkhole. Ron Haynes can represent you through the sinkhole claims process to ensure that the proper testing and submission of the sinkhole claim is done correctly. Then after receipt of the engineering report from the insurance company, he can assist you in the successful resolution of your claim to ensure you obtain the amount necessary and reasonable to repair your property. Don't just assume that your insurance company has your best interest at heart. Insurance companies hire experts that are protecting them during this process and you should have someone protectin you as well.
What Should I Expect After Submitting A Sinkhole Claim?
If you decide to submit a sinkhole claim without representation, the insurance company will send a representative to your home or property who will review the damages. The representative will then write a cosmetic damage estimate that values the amount of money needed to fix the damage. After sending out a representative, the insurance company will then retain a geotechnical engineering firm to investigate and determine whether sinkhole activity is present at the property. If there is sinkhole activity present, your insurance company will recommend what they think needs to be done to repair damages.
Free Review of Sinkhole Claims Already Submitted.
Ron Haynes offers a free review of the geotechnical report from your insurance company to determine if there is sinkhole activity present and what course of action to pursue to fix your property. He can also assist you if you have received a neutral evaluation request on your claim. Don't just assume that the insurance company's expert recommendations are correct. Obtain a second opinion before deciding how to proceed.
Two Methods of Repair or Remediation
When sinkhole activity is present in your home or property, there are typically two methods of repair:
- Grouting — injecting high-pressure low slump cement to fill the void or sinkhole
- Underpinning & Grouting — after installing steel pin piles down into competent bed rock, they are raised up to the foundation level allowing the property to sit on the steel pin piles
Although the combination of underpinning and grouting is the best method for repairing sinkhole activity, insurance companies may recommend using the grouting method because it is cheaper. In addition, grouting has no guarantee of preventing further property damage in the future. While there may be some instances in which grouting is the proper method of repair, always make sure this is the best method of repair for your particular situation so that your home or business will not continue to crack in the future.
In some instances, the insurance company may want you to select a contractor and pay the contractor directly to fix your home or business. If this is the case, I would recommend you seek a second opinion as to the method of repair and also determine what rights you have if you don't agree with the repair the insurance company's expert is recommending before you make a decision. I can help you understand your rights as to whether or not the insurance company can exercise their option to repair and assist you in determining if the repair method recommended is proper.
Free Initial Consultation ∙ Call 888-292-8469 Toll-Free
In matters involving sinkhole activity on your home or property, you need a skillful insurance lawyer immediately. Please call or send me an e-mail today.
