Everything we wish policyholders knew first.

Storm damage A second storm hit before the roof was repaired: how the claims split A new storm damaged a roof that was still waiting on repairs from the last claim. How two claims, two deductibles and the first holdback fit on one roof. November 11, 2026 · 8 min read Water damage Broken sewer or water line in the yard: what insurance pays A sewer or water line broke under your yard: why the policy splits the pipe, the digging, the driveway and the basement, and what to record before backfill. November 10, 2026 · 8 min read Water damage Furnace broke down: what home insurance pays and what it leaves out Your furnace or boiler failed: why the policy treats the unit and the water or smoke damage apart, what an equipment breakdown endorsement adds, what to do. November 9, 2026 · 8 min read Vandalism damage Tenant damaged your rental: what the landlord insurance claim pays A tenant damaged your rental: how the carrier sorts accident, vandalism, wear and neglect, why each event may have a deductible, and the Illinois deposit clock. November 8, 2026 · 9 min read Hail damage Solar panels and a hail or wind claim: who pays for what Hail or wind hit a roof with solar panels: whose policy pays for the panels, the roof under them and the removal, plus the lease clauses Illinois requires. November 7, 2026 · 9 min read Hail damage Hail hit your AC unit: what the insurance claim can pay for Hail dented your AC unit or heat pump? See when a claim pays to comb the fins, replace the coil or the condenser, and how to show the dents came from hail. November 6, 2026 · 7 min read Claim estimates Can your insurer depreciate labor on an Illinois home claim? Can an Illinois insurer depreciate labor on a home claim? One policy definition decides it. See how to spot it on an estimate and what to ask for in writing. November 5, 2026 · 7 min read Claim payments Can you keep insurance money and not fix your house? Can you keep insurance money and skip the repairs? Often the first check, rarely the holdback. See what the policy, your mortgage and Illinois law decide. November 4, 2026 · 8 min read Fire and smoke damage Kitchen fire insurance claim: what gets paid beyond the stove A kitchen fire insurance claim can reach well past the stove. See how Illinois homeowners document cabinets, smoke, ducts, food and extra meal costs. November 3, 2026 · 8 min read Claim basics File a home insurance claim or pay out of pocket? How to work it out File a home insurance claim or pay out of pocket? Work out your break-even repair, ask your agent safely, and see what Illinois insurers can do after. November 2, 2026 · 8 min read Claim handling Insurance adjuster not responding: how to count the days and what to send Insurance adjuster not responding on an Illinois claim? What the 15 working day rule covers, how to count it, who to write to next and a letter to copy. November 1, 2026 · 8 min read Hiring help mid-claim Hiring a public adjuster after the insurer's offer: what is still open You can usually hire a public adjuster after the insurance offer or first check. What stays open at each stage, what closes a claim and the fee question. October 31, 2026 · 8 min read Animal damage Squirrels, raccoons or bats in the attic: what home insurance pays Squirrels, raccoons or bats in the attic: which animal damage a homeowners policy excludes, when the fire or leak they cause is paid, and what to record. October 30, 2026 · 8 min read Water damage Water heater leak insurance claim: what is paid besides the tank A burst or leaking water heater: what an Illinois homeowners policy pays for floors, walls and tear-out, why the tank is excluded, and which proof to keep. October 29, 2026 · 8 min read Commercial hail damage Hail dents on a commercial metal roof: when the cosmetic exclusion applies A cosmetic hail denial on a commercial metal roof may not be final. What the July 2026 appeals ruling changed, which wording you have and what to measure. October 28, 2026 · 8 min read Vehicle impact Claiming against the driver's insurer after a car hits your house A car hit your house and the driver's insurer is calling. What it owes you, how a $20,000 limit gets shared, what its release ends, and how to run two claims. October 27, 2026 · 8 min read Roof collapse Hidden decay collapse claim: proving the rot was out of sight A hidden decay collapse claim turns on two facts: where the rot was and who knew. The four questions the policy asks, the records that answer them, an example. October 26, 2026 · 9 min read Wind damage A tree fell on the house: whose insurance pays and what it pays for A tree fell on your house? Your own policy pays the repair. How the $500 per tree and $1,000 removal cap work, and why the crane bill decides the claim. October 25, 2026 · 8 min read Wind damage Wind-damaged shingles: when a claim pays for a repair and when for the roof No count of missing shingles decides it. How creased and unsealed shingles, repairability tests and matching turn a wind claim from a repair into a roof. October 24, 2026 · 7 min read Fire and smoke damage Chimney fire insurance claim: proving the fire when the carrier blames creosote A chimney fire insurance claim turns on proof: the signs CSIA lists, a Level 2 inspection before cleanup, and how to answer a denial that blames creosote. October 23, 2026 · 8 min read Power surge damage Who pays for power surge damage in Illinois: your policy, the utility or both Who pays for power surge damage in Illinois: your homeowners policy first, the utility only past 30,000 customers under 220 ILCS 5/16-125, then subrogation. October 22, 2026 · 8 min read Commercial theft Business theft insurance claim: who took it decides which policy pays A business theft claim turns on who took the property. The special form clauses on employees, tricks, inventory shortages and the $2,500 theft caps. October 18, 2026 · 8 min read Claim escalation Filing a complaint with the Illinois Department of Insurance over a property claim What an Illinois Department of Insurance complaint can and cannot do on a home or business claim, how to fill in the form line by line, and what happens after. October 17, 2026 · 8 min read Rental property claims Rented house damaged: who claims what, the owner or the tenant A rented Illinois house is damaged. Which policy pays the building, the lost rent, the tenant's things and the hotel, and who files which claim first. October 16, 2026 · 8 min read Hail damage Hail damage to siding: how to tell it, prove it and claim it How hail marks vinyl, aluminum, fiber cement and wood siding, how carriers tell it from wear, and what a panel-count estimate leaves out of an Illinois claim. October 15, 2026 · 8 min read Ice and snow damage Snow load damage: what a homeowners policy pays when the roof sags, cracks or falls Heavy snow broke a truss, bowed a ceiling or brought a garage roof down. Which policy sentence answers each case, and the records that prove snow did it. October 14, 2026 · 8 min read Commercial claims Commercial smoke damage claims: stock, equipment and lost income when the fire was next door Smoke from a fire next door can close a business that never burned. The five parts of a commercial smoke damage claim, and the record that proves each one. October 13, 2026 · 8 min read Hiring help Public adjuster or attorney: who handles which part of an Illinois property claim A public adjuster argues the amount of a property claim. An attorney handles coverage disputes and lawsuits. How to tell which problem you have in Illinois. October 12, 2026 · 8 min read Foundation damage Earth Movement, Settlement and Cracked Foundations: What the Policy Excludes Why homeowners policies exclude settlement and earth movement, which foundation damage can still be paid, and how a leak under the slab changes the claim. October 1, 2026 · 9 min read Sewer backup The Water Backup Endorsement: How the Limit Gets Chosen and Why It Runs Out How the water backup endorsement limit works, what uses it up on a finished-basement loss, and how to size it before the next heavy rain in Illinois. September 29, 2026 · 9 min read Contents claims Contents Depreciation: How Used Household Goods Are Valued and What Moves the Number How insurers depreciate furniture, clothing and electronics on a contents claim, the four inputs behind each number, and the records that change them. September 27, 2026 · 9 min read Lightning damage Lightning and Power Surge Claims: Proving the Cause When Nothing Burned Lightning damage with no fire is paid or denied on cause. How a strike differs from a utility surge on your policy, and the evidence that proves which it was. September 25, 2026 · 8 min read Claim denials Engineering Reports on Insurance Claims: How to Read and Answer One An engineering report can turn a storm claim into a denial. What a causation opinion establishes, where its scope stops, and how to answer it in writing. September 12, 2026 · 8 min read Claim documents Your Insurance Claim File: How to Request It and What Is in It Your insurance claim file holds every estimate version, photo report and claim note behind the number you were paid. What to ask for, and how to ask. September 11, 2026 · 8 min read Emergency mitigation Emergency Mitigation and Board-Up Bills: What the Carrier Pays Emergency mitigation and board-up bills are covered when the loss is — but carriers argue about duration, duplication and price. Here is what moves each. September 10, 2026 · 8 min read Claim estimates Your Contractor's Estimate Is Higher Than the Carrier's: How That Gap Gets Closed Your contractor's estimate is higher than the carrier's. Here is what that gap is really made of — scope, quantity, price and O&P — and how each part closes. September 9, 2026 · 8 min read Water damage Frozen and Burst Pipes: The Heat Condition That Decides the Claim A burst pipe claim usually turns on one sentence: whether you maintained heat or drained the system. What is covered, what is not, and what proves it. September 8, 2026 · 8 min read Tornado damage Tornado Damage Claims: Wind, Debris Impact and the Parts People Forget A tornado is paid as a windstorm loss, not a tornado peril. What wind, debris impact and rain through the opening cover, and the lines first scopes miss. September 7, 2026 · 8 min read Vandalism and theft Theft and Vandalism Claims: Special Limits and Proof of Ownership A theft claim turns on special limits, a police report and proof you owned what was taken. What the caps pay, what vandalism covers, and how to document it. September 6, 2026 · 8 min read Hiring a public adjuster Public Adjuster Contracts in Illinois: What to Check Before You Sign An Illinois public adjuster contract is a regulated form. What the law makes it say, the five terms it may not contain, the fee cap, and how to cancel. September 5, 2026 · 8 min read Claim process Insurance Adjuster Inspection: How to Prepare for the Visit The carrier's adjuster inspection produces the scope your estimate is built from. What to have ready, what to ask on the day, and what to send after. September 4, 2026 · 9 min read Claim paperwork Sworn Statement in Proof of Loss: How to Fill One In A sworn proof of loss is your own statement of the claim, made under oath. What the form asks, the 60-day clock, and the numbers not to guess at. September 3, 2026 · 9 min read Smoke and soot damage Smoke Damage Without a Fire: Puffbacks and Soot Claims A puffback or a fire next door can soot a whole house with no flames. What the policy covers, how carriers scope soot, and what estimates leave out. September 2, 2026 · 9 min read Wind-driven rain and interior water Wind-Driven Rain and the Opening Created by Wind Test Rain inside after a storm is paid only if wind first made an opening. What counts as an opening, what proves the water came through, what does not. September 1, 2026 · 9 min read Underinsurance and Coverage A Underinsured: What Happens When Your Coverage A Limit Falls Short Coverage A is a rebuild cost, not a market value. What the 80% replacement cost condition does to an ordinary partial claim, and how to check your own limit. August 31, 2026 · 10 min read Ordinance or law coverage Ordinance or Law Coverage: Who Pays for Code Upgrades After a Loss Your policy rebuilds what was there, not what code now requires. What ordinance or law coverage pays for, how far 10% of Coverage A goes, and where it runs out. August 30, 2026 · 10 min read Condo and HOA losses Condo and HOA Losses: Where the Master Policy Stops and Yours Starts A condo loss is split between the association's master policy and your HO-6. What Illinois law makes the association insure, and what quietly lands on you. August 29, 2026 · 10 min read Reopening a settled claim Reopening a Settled Insurance Claim: What "Closed" Really Means A closed claim file is a carrier status, not a deadline. What really ends a claim, what supports reopening one, and the clocks quietly running out. August 28, 2026 · 9 min read Roof age and cosmetic damage Roof Age, Wear and Cosmetic Damage Endorsements on Illinois Policies An old roof does not void a claim. Three separate clauses decide what it pays: the wear exclusion, an ACV roof schedule and a cosmetic endorsement. August 27, 2026 · 9 min read Vacant and unoccupied property Vacant and Unoccupied Property: The Clause That Quietly Ends a Claim A house empty for 60 days loses vandalism, glass and water coverage before anything happens. What vacant means, how carriers count it, and what to do. August 26, 2026 · 8 min read Mold and water losses Mold After a Water Loss: Sublimits and Why the Cause Decides Coverage Mold after a water loss is payable only if the water itself was covered, and then only up to a small sublimit. How that limit works and what gets charged to it. August 25, 2026 · 8 min read Other structures Detached Garages, Fences and Sheds: What Coverage B Actually Pays For Coverage B pays for detached garages, fences and sheds, usually capped at 10% of your dwelling limit. Here is what it covers and what it quietly excludes. August 24, 2026 · 8 min read Claim deductibles Percentage Wind and Hail Deductibles: Why Yours May Not Be a Flat $1,000 A percentage wind and hail deductible is a share of your dwelling limit, not your loss. Here is where to find yours, how it is calculated, and what it costs. August 23, 2026 · 8 min read Claim estimates How to Read the Carrier's Estimate: RCV, Depreciation, O&P and the Summary Page How to read an insurance estimate: the summary page, RCV and ACV, depreciation, overhead and profit, and the line items carriers most often leave out. August 22, 2026 · 8 min read Claim payouts Mortgage Company on Your Insurance Check: How to Get the Money Released Your claim check names your mortgage servicer. Why the loss draft account exists, the documents it needs, how repair draws are released, and what stalls them. August 21, 2026 · 8 min read Claim documentation What to Photograph After Property Damage — Before You Touch Anything The scene of a loss lasts about 48 hours. The four-pass photo sequence, what each type of damage needs captured, and the shots homeowners skip. August 20, 2026 · 8 min read Water damage Sudden vs Gradual Water Damage — and Why That Phrase Decides Your Claim Carriers call water losses "gradual" to exclude them. What sudden vs gradual means in an Illinois policy, and the physical evidence that dates a leak. August 19, 2026 · 8 min read Hail damage Why a Roofer Cannot Negotiate Your Claim in Illinois Illinois law bars roofing contractors from negotiating your insurance claim. What a roofer may legally do, and what drops out when a roof bid runs the claim. August 18, 2026 · 8 min read Storm damage Storm Chasers at the Door: Contractor or Claim Scheme? Storm chaser contractors knock in Illinois within days of a hail storm. The license, contract and deductible checks that separate a roofer from a scheme. August 17, 2026 · 8 min read Commercial claims Business Interruption Insurance Claims, in Plain English How business interruption insurance pays after a commercial property loss in Illinois: the 72-hour wait, what counts as income, and what you must prove. August 16, 2026 · 8 min read Claim deadlines Deadlines That End a Property Insurance Claim in Illinois The deadlines that can end an Illinois property insurance claim - notice, proof of loss, suit limitation - how carriers count them and what tolls them. August 15, 2026 · 8 min read Appraisal The Insurance Appraisal Clause: A Quiet Way Out of a Stuck Claim The appraisal clause settles a disagreement over the amount of an insurance claim. What it can decide, how it runs, what it costs and when to avoid it. August 14, 2026 · 8 min read Supplements Insurance Claim Supplements: How Hidden Damage Gets Added to a Claim A supplement adds hidden damage to an open insurance claim. What justifies one, what evidence to send, how carriers review it, and what to do if refused. August 13, 2026 · 9 min read Additional living expenses Additional Living Expenses: What You Can Claim While You Are Out of the House Additional living expenses cover the extra cost of living elsewhere while your home is unlivable. What Coverage D pays, what it will not, how long it lasts. August 12, 2026 · 9 min read Fire & smoke damage Fire Claims: Why the Contents Inventory Decides the Settlement A fire claim contents inventory decides what you are paid: carriers settle item by item from your list. What to record, where limits bite, how to rebuild it. August 11, 2026 · 9 min read Ice & snow damage Ice Dams in Illinois: What Insurance Covers and What It Calls Maintenance Ice dam damage insurance in Illinois: policies usually pay for the water damage inside, not for removing the ice. Here is where carriers draw the line. August 10, 2026 · 8 min read Flood & sewer backup Sewer Backup vs Flood — Which One Your Policy Actually Covers Basement water in Illinois is usually sewer backup or sump failure, not flood. Here is how the three coverages differ and how to prove which one applies. August 9, 2026 · 8 min read Recorded statements The Recorded Statement: What It Is and How to Prepare for It Your insurer asked for a recorded statement. Here's what it is, what the adjuster is listening for, how to prepare, and what you can politely decline. August 8, 2026 · 8 min read Matching / uniform replacement Matching: When Illinois Policies Owe You a Uniform Roof, Not a Patch A patched roof slope or siding panel rarely matches what's already there. Here's when Illinois policies call for a full, uniform repair, and how to prove it. August 7, 2026 · 8 min read Hail damage What Carriers Routinely Leave Out of a Hail Estimate A hail damage estimate often misses ridge caps, ice and water shield, flashing and code upgrades. Here is what to check before you sign off on the number. August 6, 2026 · 8 min read Recoverable depreciation Recoverable Depreciation: The Money Most Homeowners Never Go Back For Recoverable depreciation is real money many homeowners never collect. Here is the exact process, deadline and paperwork that actually releases the second check. August 5, 2026 · 9 min read Claim denials Your Claim Was Denied: The Five Things to Do in the First Week A denied property claim isn't final. The five things to do in the first week: get it in writing, check the reason, gather documents, note the deadline. August 4, 2026 · 8 min read Claim payouts ACV vs. Replacement Cost: Why the First Check Is Smaller Than the Repair ACV pays replacement cost minus depreciation, which is why a homeowner's first insurance check often runs short of the repair bill. Here's how that math works. August 3, 2026 · 9 min read Claim basics What a public adjuster actually does — and when you don’t need one A licensed Illinois public adjuster represents you, not your insurer, on a property claim. What that work involves — and when it isn’t worth hiring one. August 2, 2026 · 7 min read Policy basics How to Read Your Homeowners Policy: The Six Lines That Decide Your Claim Your homeowners policy has six lines that decide a claim: coverage limit, deductible, settlement basis, exclusions, endorsements and ordinance coverage. August 2, 2026 · 8 min read