UNION CITY, Ga. — Freezing temperatures have led to burst pipes from some homeowners across metro Atlanta. But what do you do to make sure your home repairs are handled correctly?
Channel 2 consumer investigator Justin Gray found some steps homeowners can take as they navigate those costly repairs.
If there is water in your home, your instinct is to act fast.
But acting too fast without doing the proper due diligence can put you in a difficult spot.
Liston Broughton’s journey started with a frozen pipe last January at her Union City condo.
“When I opened the door, a flood of water came out and I walked in, and I saw that this place was soaked. So, the first thing I did was call the insurance company.”
That started a 10-month mess. Most of Broughton’s home was unlivable all year.
One bedroom has triple duty a as kitchen, living room and bedroom for months.
“This doesn’t look like a very comfortable way to live to me,” Gray told Broughton.
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“This is not a comfortable way to live,” Broughton said.
He found himself underinsured and with a mitigation bill from Serclean much larger than he expected.
A bill that started at over $40,000 was negotiated to about $30,000. The restoration work left his walls, floors and doors ripped out.
“I thought that the insurance company and Serclean would get together because he told me, we’ll talk to your insurance company about what’s going to be involved in this. Trusted somebody too much,” Broughton said.
The restoration work ate up Broughton’s entire insurance coverage leaving no money left to rebuild.
“I’m going to have to, little by little, whatever money I can come up with fix pieces at a time,” Broughton said.
Broughton had two problems that Channel 2 consumer advisor Clark Howard said he sees all too often: first too little insurance coverage and second giving up control to the contractor.
“As much as you want your place right back as it was, you have to take a deep breath. You have to take your time. You have to get quotes from different companies, and you have to check references,” Howard said.
Georgia Insurance Commissioner John King said you should not be hands-off when it comes to the bill.
“A lot of people just leave the contractor to negotiate with the insurance company. And I urge consumers not to do that, to participate in that. This is a major process that affects your property. You want to make sure that you’re made whole,” King said.
Broughton also now realizes he was underinsured.
King said you shouldn’t necessarily go with just the least expensive option.
“Consumers tend to buy the most affordable, cheapest insurance because it costs a lot of money to. But they’re not involved in that discussion of how much insurance do I have? Is that insurance effective?” said King.
In Broughton’s case, after Channel 2 Action News reached out to Serclean last fall, they announced that he would be the recipient of what they say is called their give-back program.
They rebuilt his home for no additional charges.
King said anytime there is freezing weather, it is a reminder to look at your coverage, and make sure you know what is and isn’t covered in your policy.
He suggests reviewing things with your insurance agent twice a year.
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