by matt » Tue Jan 10, 2012 01:38 am
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I recently had a house fire that caused mostly smoke damage. My adjuster came and determined that the entire inside of the house needs to be painted and my floor in the kitchen needs to be replaced. The amount is 10k plus. I am a builder myself and would like to do the repairs myself. They will only give me the full amount if i use a contractor. Can i use a contractor, who is a friend, but still pay others under the table to get the work done?
I want to do more repairs and improvements than what actrully needs to get done. Is just getting the money written to myself the best way to go? If so how do i get the most bang for my buck?
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I recently had a house fire that caused mostly smoke damage. My adjuster came and determined that the entire inside of the house needs to be painted and my floor in the kitchen needs to be replaced. The amount is 10k plus. I am a builder myself and would like to do the repairs myself. They will only give me the full amount if i use a contractor. Can i use a contractor, who is a friend, but still pay others under the table to get the work done?
I want to do more repairs and improvements than what actrully needs to get done. Is just getting the money written to myself the best way to go? If so how do i get the most bang for my buck?
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Posted: Tue Jan 10, 2012 03:55 pm Post Subject:
The insurance company is possibly going to cut you a two party claim check and appoint a contractor themselves. If they ask you to appoint a contractor by yourself, maybe then you can designate another contractor that you know for the repair work. You can then cash the check and use the money whichever way you want. There is no question of paying anyone under the table. In a sense that’d amount to fraud on some level.
Posted: Tue Mar 13, 2012 11:18 pm Post Subject:
I know your original question is about payment and how to get the full amount of the check and I think the last response answered that for you but I think there is more money here for you. Without seeing the damage first hand I can not be certain but from past experience I am confident that they have not properly compensated you for your loss. It is very common for the insurance companies to recommend painting after a smoke damage claim and that will put a band aid on the problem but what will most likely occur is that in 1, 2 or 5 years down the road you will begin smelling the smoke again. If you had enough smoke damage that he felt you needed to repaint the entire home you most likely need to tear out a bunch of the drywall as paint will only temporarily encapsulate it.
Something else you may want to consider is your kitchen cabinets, are they damaged from water or smoke? Is the floor in the kitchen contiguous with any of the other rooms in the home?
Fire and smoke damage claims can be very complex and it is typically much worse than it first appears. I have not seen a fire or smoke damage claim that only had $10k in damages. If you have any questions please feel free to contact me to discuss your particular claim.
Good luck with everything!
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