Disputes about flood coverage can persist long after units and communal areas have been dried out, cleaned up, and repaired—and those disputes can sometimes stretch on for months or years after the initial flooding event. While complexities can crop up in almost any kind of property-loss claim for condominiums, flood claims can be particularly fraught with problems and delays. Here are some of the most common issues that create difficulties and disputes in condominium flood claims:
- Damage to a condo may be covered under different policies held by individual unit owners, neighbors, the condominium association, and other interested parties.
- Depending on the terms of each policy, different parties may be responsible for different portions of the flood damage, and disputes can arise about who is responsible for damages to units, common areas, and grounds.
- The damage caused by flooding, in particular, is also generally covered under a number of specific flood insurance policies held by unit owners or condo associations, and these policies are often separate from the master policies or general coverage.
- There are often coverage gaps caused by the variance in individual and association flood policies and the insurance carriers each party chooses.
- Insurance companies may get involved in disputes between themselves regarding the terms of each party’s coverage and how much the company must pay for flood losses, even when claims for damage are legitimate and filed appropriately.
Skilled Legal Guidance and Litigation Support for Condominium Flood-Damage Claims
Because flood claims are so complex, unit owners and condominium associations sometimes need to turn to an experienced legal team to move ahead with their claims and come to a workable resolution. Working with a policyholder attorney means that you can make sure that your rights are protected, asserted, and respected—and it also means that you have the support you need when a dispute can’t be settled and must move into litigation.
Floods and water damage can keep condominium associations and individual unit owners locked in a battle over the terms of insurance coverage, differing interests, and responsibility for assessments and estimates—but you can take action to maximize a flood insurance claim and push for fair resolution between the many people, organizations, and insurance companies involved. To learn more, request your copy of our free book, Disputes With Your Insurance Company: What All Consumers Need to Know, or contact our experienced policyholder attorneys directly by phone.
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