Claim of Wind-driven rain damage got denied Chyang Yu asked 8 months ago
Claim of Wind-driven rain damage got denied

Hippo Insurance Company denied my Homeowner Insurance claim. In the denial letter, it stated: “Inspection reports revealed long term wear and tear. There is no coverage under this policy for poor workmanship causing constant seepage.” Hippo also referred to HO6 policy Section I -EXCLUSIONS B 3.

I filed the claim on March 24. Hippo ordered an inspector immediately and then ordered the environmental remedy jobs through the third parties, and asked those 3rd parties to send the invoice directly to Hippo. By May 5, all the water damaged sheetrock was removed and the environmental remedy jobs were done. Surprisingly, Hippo denied my claim on June 31, which is 80 days after I filed the claim. My right to hire an independent inspector was deprived by Hippo.

I believe this claim has been wrongfully denied because the metal roof of our house was in pristine condition before this wind-driven rain. The statement of “The poor workmanship causing constant seepage” in the denial letter was totally wrong.

Please help me on this case.

John

2 Answers
Ben Suter Ben Suter Expert answered 8 months ago
1 Vote Up Vote Down

John — Sorry to hear of your difficulties with Hippo Insurance Company.  I cannot give you proper legal advice from the limited amount of information this forum allows you to provide. However, it appears that Hippo has placed its interests above yours, in contravention of California law.

To properly advise you, I (or any other experienced attorney) would need your Hippo policy, along with the declarations page and related endorsements; any correspondence that have had with Hippo concerning your policy and your claim (e-mails, letters, texts); any inspections of your property by Hippo either before or after the rain incident; evidence that your metal roof was in pristine condition; and photographs of your property from before and after the rain/wind damage. Sorry not to give a more complete answer here.

Best regards, Ben Suter