Posted On: April 11, 2007, 3:53 pm CDT

Posted By: Alana

As your loss claim progresses, additional damage can occur due to negligence on the part of professionals hired to assist. If you feel you have a basis, file a new claim, while your old one is still pending. An example would be water intrusion due to an improperly tarped or deteriorating tarped roof, which a contractor was supposed to repair but didn't, causing excessive water damage.
Or a contractor bids repairs, stating they'd do an asbestos survey as part of the repairs, to check for asbestos is listed on the bid, together with an asbestos survey after the interior demolition is complete to see if there was contamination.
Be sure to check your construction bill to see if it lists a $25.00-$30.00 required by law. Asbestos tests are necessary and there's an extensive list of things which can containing asbestos, from popcorn ceilings, to old flooring to knob and tube wiring, to old chimney grout. Contractors additionally must perform or have done in addition to the asbestos test, a necessary asbestos "survey" which runs about $350-$400 because if the survey is omitted, this may indicate that proper procedures for dealing with abestos were not followed. By failing to obtain the survey it may show that they didn't want to be exposed as negligent in this. And if asbestos is in the air, and you or your family breathes it, this is a health hazard.
You can look in the Yellow Pages under asbestos, or mold and obtain testing cheaply in that case. I say this because there are claims for homes are not being pay by insurance companies using contractors to further insurance destroy them by stalling and letting them go moldy, or by asbestos contaminating them. You don't want your family made ill by either of these fraudulent procedures. By law they have to obtain these reports, and you can obtain these. Need help? Contact the Clean Air agency of your city.
If you are being continuously threatened that your living expense is running out, and if you don't mitigate repairs your living expense will be terminated, but they are stalling off on repairing your property using the funds you're entitled to under your policy coverage, do not procrastinate, but recognize this is a fraudulent move on their part.
Beware of the attempt of any insurance company to insurance destroy your home to avoid paying the claim. Contractors stalling and allowing mold growth. This age old contractor -adjuster scam is called "House Cooking" and variations of this are reported. I read a report of a guilty person who went to prison for this. Look up a search under house cooking on the internet. Contractors may try to drum up more business for themselves by worsening your damages to obtain more money. But an insurance company may also utilize this technique to avoid paying out your claim.