We had water damage in our kitchen and the rebuild vendor removed all the bottom cabinets, but there was mold in the drywall behind it. The upper cabinets were not affected. Four months have passed and the vendor cannot match the cabinets as they are no longer made and not available to the public (only the builder of our manufactured home). The insurance company says they won’t pay for upper cabinets despite the fact we cannot match them. This is about $9,000 according to the vendor. Do we have any options?
Barbara McLean asked 10 months ago 2 Answers
Brian Evans Expert answered 9 months ago Hi Barbara,
Difficult situation but not an unusual one unfortunately. There’s a few things that you want to look at and approaches you can potentially take.
First, review your insurance policy or speak with a experienced professional public adjuster who can review it for you and provide direction on how the policy terms and conditions may affect your situation. Less any coverage limitations present, you can proceed a few ways.
What you may know is that cabinetry can be custom manufactured. Depending on the style, finish, and a few other factors, getting a custom cabinet shop to provide an accurate assessment for you. You’d be requesting they confirm and provide a proposal to refabricate and install matching cabinets. If they cannot be made to match the existing cabinets, they just need to confirm that in memo or proposal and forward that on to the carrier.
Virginia is a “Broad Evidence” state. The broad evidence rule is a rule that insurance companies are often obligated to follow for determining the value of losses sustained by policyholders. This rule states that no single, fixed means will be used for determining the value of items lost, but instead, the most accurate means available will be used.
The mold is another interesting point but theres much to unpack with that. Otherwise, if the carrier maintains their position and you cannot replace the cabinetry, the policy will contain an insurance appraisal provision. This is like arbitration and would provide a mechanism to resolve the dispute. Hope this is helpful!
Sincerely,
Brian Evans, CEO
Eastern Public, LLC
Dear Barbara,
In addition to Brian’s answer, below are a few United Policyholders’ publications that may be of help to you:
Water Damage Claim Guidance Library
Resolving Flood insurance Disputes
https://uphelp.org/buying-tips/mobile-manufactured-home-basics/
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