Water Damage Denied

Hello. I have been insured by Farmers for many years. If im guessing at least 19 years. I have never had a problem with them, and I have had some claims with them that went very smoothly reguarding my homeowners insurance. The First claim was a water damage claim 7 yrs ago....it was handled promptly and repaired perfectly. The source of the damage was a toilet that over flowed and kept running. My wife did not realize it was happening untill it was too late. Water ran out of my restroom all the way to the sliding glass door and out of my house that is two rooms away from the source of the problem. I have laminate flooring in my hallway and living room.....so it was toast. The Repairs cost for round numbers $5500. No questions asked.....it was taken care of.
The secound claim came in October of 2007. A shower valve was leaking, but instead of water shooting outside of the valve the water went inside of the wall. We never noticed a problem untill the carpet in our bedroom became wet. Then we found the problem. Claim handled at a cost to farmers of $1107. Plus the $500 dollar dudectable.
Today is June 26, 2006. My claim for another loss has been denied. Here is the story. Last thursday my wife and I were doing yard work, and I came into the house to get something. I noticed that my laminate flooring did not look normal and it had that wavy look to it. I immideatly knew there was a problem, but did not know where. I walked over to one of the seams in the laminate and and pressed down on it with my foot and water came out of it. I went back out side and told my wife "hun we have problems". I told her what I found and she said " call the Farmers help point right now". So I did after checking the sink and dishwasher area for leaks and found nothing. I was advised to call a water restoration service immideately, and to go under my house to check for leaks which I found one. At first I thought it was a leaky joint on the copper pipe. Shortly after a claims person by the name of Hollis called me and asked what happen. She said "in your policy it states that water damage will not be covered unless a leak is sudden and accidental". I told her that there was a leaking pipe under my house and it looked like it was dripping from the floor. She asked "how long would it take to fill up a glass of water...I said I dont know.....(was getting frustrated at this point and said .....20 mins or so maybe. And then she repeated the sudden and accidental quote. She advised to get a water restoration company in that night wich I did, but do not tear up any flooring untill an adjuster came, and have the leake fixed......Duh!!!!. I turned off the water to the home, and that is rough with a 7 yr old in the house. The plumber could not come untill saturday, two and a half days after finding the leak. Thank goodness my neighbor and I have a good friendship. He let us shower at his home.
Five days later a claims adjuster came to my home......seemed kinda uncomfortable, and I noticed he did not draw a diagram, did not measure anything and had the big grin on his face that is mentioned in this web site. He went through the formalities....and I told him what happen.
The plumber found the leak. It was enclosed in a wall for a hook up for an ice maker behind the refridgerator (wich I never hooked up for fear of leaks, and I have live here for 17 yrs) But the plumber said the valve was too tight when it was installed and finally failed. The plumber said the water was flowing out of it consistantaly....not a drip, and not a spray. It was like holding up a small hose and had a constant flow. He took out the sheet rock in a one square foot area and repaired the pipe and removed the valve. I did not see the repair or the water running out of it because I was at work that day, but my wife said she seen it and said it was running pretty good. I asked here "how long would it take to fill up a big glass of water" She said "about 30 secounds". Under the house the insulation was catching the water and soaking it up so it was not dripping so bad under there. There is a patch of mold on only one wall about 1sq foot. The copper pipe has green on it, but that is form the flux from the solder im sure. I am a former metal worker and I know what it looks like. I had my refredgerator out about 5 weeks ago and there was not any sign of damage at that point. laminate flooring simply does not last once water hits the back side of it. It only takes 1 to 3 days to start buckleing, I know that from past experience. The water restoration company says that I have very minor mold issue and its an easy fix, and it takes only 3 to 7 days to get the mold I have on the wall....especially behind the refridgerator because it is warm from the compressor.
My claim has been denied twice now...once form the original adujuster, and one form the claims adjuster supervisor. This is based on the "test" that they supposedly did on my faulty valve. He said the valve just had a slight drip and then had a short spray....then a long time of a drip...and then a quick spray. The adjuster said that it has been going on for quite some time because of the mold on the wall, the discoloration of the valve (wich is Bs) and the area disturbed. If anybody has had laminate floor damage due to water you will know what im talking about, once water hits the back side of it, it's toast. So, I called the water district to see what the water pressure was at my home.....and I want them to test the valve at the same pressure that is at my house to see what happens then because the claims adjuster is 200 miles away from me. I am also obtaining a letter from the plumber, and water restoration company stateing their findings. At this point I need to go to the insurance comminishner and try to get it taken care of that way. If that fails........I do not have the funding for a lawyer....I work two jobs, and my wife works full time too......we cannot afford legal help, nor can we repair our flooring and home. The reasons behind that is due to haveing LP sideing that I had to replace 2years ago and still paying for that. Any advice would be appricated...and If you have questions feel free to email, but please make your subject farmers sucks so I know it is safe to open.

Just a quick up date. I have stated that I was denied twice, and need to get all the stuff I need to try and combat my claims adjuster, and claims adjusters supervisor. I have gotten a letter from the water restoration people stateing that it only takes 3 to 7 days for mold to grow like I have. I have reciepts from a appliance repair company that came to fix my fridge on may 9, and there was not any sign of damage at that point in time. I also have a letter from the plumber stateing that the water was running at approxatematly 1 to 2 cups per minute, and the questionable valve had a 3/8" crack in it. Thats alot of water folks.
The letter I got from Farmers from my crack head claims adjuster said that he took the valve to a local plumber and they tested the valve, and it was just a slow drip, but he told my farmers agent " the valve went drip, drip, drip, SPRAY, drip drip drip SPRAY". So.....he has also lied to my agent too. My wife was home when the plumber repaired the valve.....she said that the water was comming pretty quickly out of the valve. The plumber seen the same thing. The Claims adjuster also said that his supervisor had denied the claim too.....Talk about lineing pockets. I also have a letter from a local flooring company that states that laminate flooring will buckle very quickly when water gets to the backside of the laminate. Hopefully this does not have to go to court, but I am prepared to do so. I just hope that those that have given me letters will stand behind me in the court room because the are very busy people, and no work for them means no dollars in their pockets either.

I have been insured by Foremost insurance group for 5 years, never had a problem never opened up a claim. Well that changed my hotwater heater started experiencing problme where water was coming out the bottom, causing floor to get soaking wet, then notice some mushroom type things growing out of my carpet. I suspected mold, so I contacted a mold inspector to comfirm, before I make a claim. The results came back positive for high level of mold. I open a claim, and adjuster told me that he was busy could not be there until next week. Well I dried the floor and got something to kill the mushrooms. Well after waiting 2 months of hearing nothing, and when I call and leave a message they do not return my call. Then I recieve a letter in the mail indicating that my claim has been denied. There reasoning is I waited too long to file a claim and I attempted to fix the problem myself. Well if the insurance adjuster is too busy and takes him a week to come over I am not going to just sit there and walk on a wet floor. Foremost insurance sucks, I would not recommend this company even to my worse enemy.

Ted

Sorry to hear about your loss. Apparently, Farmers is getting worse instead of better.

The water damage, being inside the wall 'should' be covered. Most policies exempt lack of maintenance, wear and tear, and deteioration. If the valve had a 3/8" crack in it, it is a defect, and not one of the three above mentioned conditions. The 'sudden and accidental' clause used to refer mostly to the difference between pressurized supply lines and seeping drain lines, dripping valves etc. A 3/8" crack on a pressurized line is most assuredly not a 'seep'. On the suface, it sounds like Farmers trying to mitigate Katrina and other high dollar losses on the backs of hardworking policyholders.

As to your laminate flooring, most flooring of that ilk uses an MDF (Multi-Density Fiberboard) core underneath the laminate. The stuff is like a sponge when in contact with water. Three day for it to buckle laying in water is a gross over estimate. It seems typical of Farmers to fight an expensive reflooring.

I'd like to get more details on your situation. Please feel free to e-mail me.

I am a master carpenter, journeyman plumber and electritian, former general contractor and am currently a partner in an HVAC co. I have succsessfully fought Farmers on a homeowners claim and I really do not like them. Any assistance I can give would be a pleasure.
Mike

All verbage in this post is the expression of free speech by the author. No claims are made, expressed or implied.

Farmers just told me I wasn't covered for water damage since I didn't have it in my policy although it's not listed in the exclusion. The water pipe underneath the toilet broke and flooded my house. I will never be a customer of Farmers again and I was for 30 years.

My upstair master bedroom cultural marble shower pan cracked. Water leaked into down stair bed room it started dripping from the ceiling. I poked a hole and released about 3 gallons of water. I called and filed a claim to Farmers. Four days later, adjuster came give an estimate. He said my deductible is $3500 and his estimated damage also very close to it. Then he said that this water damage is not coverd by the insurance.

I called insurance agent, he said my deductible is $2500 per occurance.and the estimated damage is almost all paid for by my deductible. He tried to to make a petition with Farmers for my claim. I am very happy with my agent. When come to a claim, Farmers insurance is not the one you can rely on.

I have had farmers for 16 years now. I purchased my home new in 1997. I lived in a designated flood zone. There is a flood canal behind my home with two holes at each end of my back wall to drain the water out of my home. Who ever figured the desert would flood. My first big problem came in 2005 when El Paso was hit with one fo the worst storms ever. There was flooding city wide. Since I am a avid gardner and have a well manicured lawn, I managed to fair better than my neighbors did. For those that are unfamiliar with the soil here, it can get so dry that it repels water. I had treated by backyard before putting my lawn in. I steadily watched my yard slowly turn into a pond. The water only reached my patio and went no further. My other neighbors did not do so well. They had flooding in their homes. The only damage I suffered was a leaking roof. Farmers came out and said there was nothing wrong with my roof. Yet 4 of my nieghbors all had new roofs put on. I have put in three claims with farmers for my roof to be reparied. Each time the adjuster told me to go up on the roof and seal around the vents. I did that twice. Now when it rains my master bathroom has a waterfall feature that was unadded to it. Also my light fixtures in said bathroom fills up with water, along with the light fixture in the kitchen. When I called a contractor out to look at my roof, he told me my insurance adjuster was wrong. I have very high vaulted ceilings in my home. He explained that when it rains the water is running down my roof under the shingles. So just because I see a leak in my roof does not mean that is where the water is coming from like in a flat roof home.

A year later after the flood my water heater started acting up. I came home to find my kithcen and laundry room flooded. When I called a repair man he told me that water from my airconditioner line was leaking down the copper pipe onto my waterheater.and rusted it on the inside. He said I would not have noticed it until it was too late. After I put in a new water heater I had the line to the airconditioner rerouted to my outside water faucet. Several years later, my agent told me my waterheater was covered by my insurance. I asked him since I just had an accident and could not walk or drive if I could bring the reciept for the water heater to his office to fax to the claims center. He said yes. Turns out he lied and never sent the reciept in to the adjusters office.

So after 16 years of being with Farmers I am canceling my policy. The clincher is that my new policy is the same price as my old policy is with Farmers. Go figure. FYI the Texas Board of Insuranceis totally useless.

Well my neighbour had his water damaged denied but my colleague had the same issue and his water damage was not denied. On what issues is this denial and approval based on? Before you opt for an insurance company you find out how they work and how they help you.. right?

I purchased a Farmer's homeowners insurance policy a little over one month ago. It took one month to just get the policy documents. For some strange reason I sat down and read the policy documents immediately upon receipt. When I read the water coverage section and the exclusions I immediately decided to cancel Farmers and to purchase a new policy. Just canceled Farmers and purchased new policy with adequate water damage coverage. It cost a little more but at least now I feel that the coverage is adequate and consistant with the coverage on my primary home.

Farmer's homeowners insurance is really a rip off for water coverage. If you're considering Farmers inquire about the water coverage first. Ask to read the coverage and exclusion language. Then go elsewhere.

Adjuster just left my house. After inspecting my water heater that was leaking, claim was denied saying "we do not cover slow leaks" This was after admitting that people will normally not go into the area where my water heater is unless there is some sort of a problem, so this slow leak that by his guess could have taken a week to do all the damage it has done (Water Heater is located upstairs, so the ceiling to a downstairs storage closet is halfway collapsed) is not going to be covered by my policy. The estimate to replace the faulty water heater alone is 1000.00. It looks like Farmers has lost another customer.

I have a Farmers claim water claim they are denying.
The condensation line in my ac cracked, and released water, it got into my laminate floor over a few days, and began to warp.
I called the a/c repair, he found the line had about an 1 inch crack in it and was dripping out.
The adjuster told me it was not sudden and catastrophic it was not covered.
I would think something over a couple of days would be pretty sudden, and to me it is catastrophic.

Is there anything you can do to help me with my claim ?

Patrick

I have had Foremost insurance for about 12 years. I got broken into about the second year of my coverage and after many try's finally got coverage for loss of about 10 cents on a dollar, if that. Now I had some friends over and in my backyard we were picking up doggy doo doo and my friend noticed some water slowly running down the side of my house. I first thought it was from my new sprinkler system, but then right above it is my hot water tank storage compartment which I have never opened since I have never had any problems. I opened it to find black mold and a soggy floor. I immediately called a plumber, which came two days later since it was a slow leak, I guess. I also called Foremost. Three days later the adjusted came out and of course found an exclusion from his large exclusion notebook. I have to pay for it all and I'm on a limited income due to disability. Foremost seems to have an exclusion that can fix for just about ANY water damage. Unfortunately I live in a mobile home in a park so there are limited company's which cover them. By the time you read this I would bet I have changed companies! I strongly suggest to anyone, do not get Foremost insurance, your not covered!

My water heater may have been leaking for years underneath my house without my knowledge, no sign of water in the house period on none of the floors, the water damage caused the floors to rot over the years without my knowledge. I call my insurance company Farmers to file a claim, they denied me for not fixing a problem I was unaware of. Now my water heater is about to fall through the roof. What if any recourse do I have.

Let me get this straight...your water heater "may have been leaking for years underneath my house without my knowledge", and now your "water heater is about to fall through the roof". Help me out here, is it under your house or on your roof? And if it's on your roof...WHY?

What company did you switch to?

Hey, how did this shake out? I am in the same boat with Allstate and I too have LP to replace, broke also lol. We bought the money pit from hell here in Oregon. Any tips?

Thanks,

Deb

My formal complaint letter is towards Farmer adjuster and her supervisor, I’ll try my best to write this in chronological order so all the information can be more clear. We found out the water damage/leak on Feb 21, 2017 and we called Farmers Insurance that day. The following day, the service master came on Feb 22, 2017 to cut the drywall and brought fans to dry the water.

Farmer adjuster first scheduled a plumber to visit our house and inspect the water damage on Feb 24, 2017 which was a Friday. However, Farmer adjuster called me the day prior which was Feb 23, 2017 and told me that the plumber was unable to come on Friday and that he would be available last minute on Thursday, the 23rd. The appointment was at 3PM and I took the time out of my work schedule to meet with the plumber since this water damage was really important to my family and my house. Even though it was so last minute, I dropped everything to meet with the plumber but when 3PM came, there was no show from the plumber. The plumber called me at 3:30PM and he said that he wasn’t coming. Now this is where everything was really frustrating because like I said, this was a very last minute appointment and my office is located in North Las Vegas so it wasted my entire afternoon and my business.
Farmer adjuster showed up at my house on Friday, February 24th and she was supposed to show up with the plumber. However, he wasn’t there so it was just Farmer adjuster. I told her that the water damage was from a small hole from our soft water machine. At this time, I had to see a patient so I had to go to my office and I was gone for 30 minutes, leaving Farmer adjuster alone at my house for 30 minutes When I came back, she told me that she had denied our claim. She’s denying our claim based off of what the service master and the handyman said. She’s claiming that our water damage was there for more than a week and that she got that information from the handyman and the service master. However, when I asked both the service master and the handyman, they both denied the fact that they said anything about how long the water damage has been to Farmer adjuster. My question here is how did she determine how long the water damage has been? How come she didn’t ask me any other questions about other damages that happened in the garage?
I asked her supervisor, , the same questions. How would she determine that? He said that according to Farmer adjuster's picture, that there was a yellow mark on the wall left by the water damage. her supervisor never came to my house and accused me of lying based off the fact of the picture sent by Farmer adjuster However, the service master pointed to that area the day prior and said that the yellow mark was there from a long time ago and the handyman also said that there was no correlation between the water damage and the yellow mark. The service master cut the drywall when he came to visit on the 22nd and he left the area with the yellow mark, because it was dry and from a prior leak, most likely from above, from the roof. That’s physical proof that even though it was marked with a stain from the past, that it wasn’t wet from the water damage. In the middle of the fiasco on the 24th, [Farmer adjuster mentioned to me that her father in law and her husband were part of the police and that her father in law was a high ranking metro office. I was obviously feeling threatened and I don’t believe that it was professional of her to mention something like that to me when we were focusing on the water damage. I also want to point out the fact that she raised her voice at me once when I confronted her about the plumber not showing up. She told me something along the lines that “When I scheduled the plumber, it was a courtesy. It wasn’t my responsibility that they don’t show up.” She then packed up her stuff and angrily rushed off but she wasn’t paying attention to her surroundings and she released one of my dogs outside onto the street.
My main issue is her attitude that she presented herself with in my own house, the yellow mark on the wall, and the way she treated her policyholders. She treated me in a very rude manner and made me feel uncomfortable in my own home. The yellow mark, according to the handyman and the service master, was already there prior to the water damage and they left it untouched. I also believe that she is very inexperienced when it comes to water damage, how would she know how long water damage has been present? How long has she been an expert when it came to damages such as this?. As a policyholder, I felt threatened, treated unfairly, experienced racism, and was insulted in my very home and I don’t think something like this should be okay in a professional manner.

Farmers insurance is not the one you can rely on.

I was also denied a water damage claim by FARMERS INSURANCE the worst insurance company I have ever had the misfortune of dealing with. A drain line from my kitchen sink was leaking, all the water exiting my kitchen leaked onto the pier and beam decking under the tile from behind the wall. It was a hidden leak. I had the line repaired and was denied by Farmers after paying premiums for approx. 15 years. I will be cancelling this policy as soon as I obtain another with a company that is trustworthy. I would appreciate recommendations.

Here are a few alternatives. I like Country Companies
[www.farmersinsurancegroupsucks.com]

We had a leak in the wall of our kitchen from a pipe attached to dishwasher drain. Farmers denied the claim saying it was neither "sudden or accidental." Damages to the kitchen are extensive. Real hardwood floors, real cherry cabinets, granite coubters

I had the same problem last year



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/08/2020 03:47PM by administrator.

Mike please reach out to me at 7139062605

Hello People [ I two had a water damage claim denied.
Thinking of a class action lawsuit against Farmers Insurance Company.

We have had our kitchen updated in July of 2015 with all new kitchen cabinets and appliances. We have purchased Sears Kenmore Elite dishwasher and unknown to us this dishwasher was starting to drip water under our new flooring. Well comes two years of Covid and we could not get our kitchen flooring repaired do toa manufacture defect so
We had to wait until Covid was over to get a flooring guy toco,e over to fix the flooring. When he started to remove the flooring that’s when he noticed the whirlpool dishwasher was leaking out under the flooring. We now have Very new kitchen cabinets that have black mold all under the cabinets. Service masters stated that the kitchen cabinets must be removed in order to remove all of the black mold . My kitchen is now a complete mess with all of the black mold and to boot my wife has asthma. Whirlpool dishwasher Company who made my Kenmore dishwasher is now under a class action lawsuit against Whirlpool Corporation.
We need help by a attorney off law firm in Ohio that. Would be willing to help us out.