After a storm, damage to a home or building may not be evident right away. In May 2018, a hailstorm struck York County in Pennsylvania, and many buildings sustained damage. While the owners of these buildings may have insurance coverage, there is a deadline by which they must file an insurance claim. Generally speaking, the deadline is one year from…
Being a member of the Board of Directors at your Homeowners Association can be a thankless job. With all of the issues the Board has to deal with, responding to document requests from homeowners should be an easy one. Still, one of the major complaints we hear from Boards is the overwhelming amount of paper, documents, and other files that…
As summer rapidly approaches, we tend to think about shorts, barbeques and warm weather finally coming after a dreadful winter. However, a significant part of summer is the massive storms that happen all season long. Summer storms often afflict significant damage on roofs, exteriors to houses and even the roads. But who pays to repair storm damage when it happens…
Working as a contractor in the construction industry can mean that you do a lot of work for homeowners and property managers. From repairing damages that result from storms to helping people remodel and update properties, your job helps people maintain or increase their property value. There’s nothing quite as satisfying as a job well done when you have helped…
Colorado homeowners are facing serious damages as a result of hailstorms throughout the state. However, when they file a claim with their homeowners’ insurance policies for the storm damage, they are facing delays, denials and lowered estimates that could hinder their opportunity to recover from the damage caused by the hail. In the past decade, homeowners and businesspeople in the…
With the record setting snow fall of the last few months in Minnesota, many homeowner associations are starting to see ice dams. An ice dam is a chunk of ice on the edge of your roof line and is usually caused by inadequate insulation or ventilation which allows escaping heat to melt snow on the roof. When the melted snow…
When a storm hits in Colorado or other states, it is possible that it could cause damage to a person’s home. However, there is no guarantee that an insurance policy will cover the cost of repairing that damage. In some cases, an insurance policy will damage caps or other limits that may leave a homeowner paying for some repairs out…
Those who have an insurance policy may feel at ease knowing that there is financial protection in case of emergency. However, the process of filing a claim after a natural disaster or other event that causes damage may be confusing to policyholders. The first step in the process is to review the policy itself to get a better idea of…
SJJ recently won an important case in the Federal District Court of Minnesota related to a homeowners’ association’s ability to send violation letters. The case involved a homeowner who sued their association for alleged violations of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (“FDCPA”). The FDCPA is a federal law which protects consumers from unfair or abusive debt collection practices. Homeowner…
Winter in Minnesota is brutal. Snow accumulates, and when the sun shines, it melts and turns into ice. When you combine these wintry elements with freezing temperatures, it creates particularly dangerous conditions. This can cause issues in your home. You may wonder if winter home repairs are covered by homeowners insurance. Here is what you need to know about a…
