1
Make it safe.
Call 911 if there's a fire. Stay out of a flooded basement until the power is off, and never run a generator inside your home, garage or carport.
Staten Island · New York City
Staten Island public adjuster for water, fire and storm damage claims
We're a licensed New York public adjusting firm, and we represent the policyholder, never the insurance company. From St. George to Tottenville, we inspect Staten Island homes and businesses in person, document the damage, write the estimate and negotiate the claim.
Licensed and insured in New YorkIn-person inspections on Staten IslandFree claim review
Staten Island Homes
Semi-attached, frame or townhouse: the house shapes the claim.
- Semi-attached houses and townhouses. Many of the Island's newer homes share a wall or a roof line with the house next door. A fire on one side can send smoke, heat and firefighting water into the other, and both estimates have to account for the shared wall.
- Wood-frame houses. In a frame house, smoke travels through wall cavities, the attic and the insulation, so the cleanup and the estimate have to reach well past the room that burned.
- Homes with a rental unit. A basement or upstairs apartment adds the tenant's belongings and the owner's lost rent to the claim, and each one falls under a different policy.
- Stores and offices. A fire or leak in a store, restaurant or office can mean lost income, damaged stock and the tenant's own improvements on top of the building damage. Commercial claims
Flood Zones and Water
On the East and South Shores, the first water question is often flood.
Hurricane Sandy's surge rolled over the East Shore in 2012 and onto the low-lying streets behind it, and the state later offered buyouts in Oakwood Beach and Ocean Breeze. Many homes along the East and South Shores still sit in coastal flood zones.
- Flood. Surge or rising water from outside is flood. Homeowners policies exclude it; it needs a separate flood policy, usually through the National Flood Insurance Program, and federal flood policies cover little in a finished basement. In a house raised after the storm, flood coverage below the first living floor is limited in much the same way.
- Sewer backup. Water forced up through a floor drain or toilet is covered on most policies only with a backup endorsement, which often has its own limit.
- Pipes and appliances. A sudden burst pipe or a failed water heater is usually a homeowners claim; the policy decides how much of the damage it pays.
Before anything is torn out, photograph the water line and the place the water got in. That evidence decides which policy pays.
Storms and Wind
Coastal storms and nor'easters hit roofs, siding and fences first.
Wind can peel back shingles and siding and drive rain inside. Most homeowners policies cover wind damage and the rain that gets in through a wind-made opening. Rain through an opening the wind didn't make is usually excluded, so it matters to show what the wind broke first. Many coastal policies also carry a separate hurricane deductible, figured as a percentage of the home's insured value. Fences, sheds and detached garages fall under a separate part of the policy, and the cost to remove a tree that hits the house is usually capped. Storm and wind claims
Condos, Co-ops and HOAs
In a townhouse community, condo or co-op, two policies share the loss.
Staten Island has townhouse communities run by homeowners associations, along with condo and co-op buildings. In each, the association's or building's master policy and your own policy cover different parts of the same loss, and the bylaws or proprietary lease draw the line. Co-op and condo boards can hire us for the building's own claim, too. See how condo and co-op claims work
First Steps
Make it safe, stop more damage, then document everything.
2
Stop more damage.
Tarp a damaged roof or board an opening once it's safe, and keep the receipts. Policies expect reasonable steps to protect the house.
3
Report every claim.
Notify your homeowners insurer, and your flood insurer separately if you have flood coverage. Keep every claim number, letter and email together.
4
Document before cleanup.
Photograph each room, the roof and siding, and every damaged item before it goes to the curb. Keep receipts for pumping, drying and hotel nights. How to document water damage before repairs
What we've recovered for New York owners
Our results on real claims:
Bronx fire claim. Initial carrier offer: $97,000. Final result: $250,000. Read the case: triboropa.com/results/bronx-fire-damage
Queens water claim. From $8,000 to $95,000. Read the case: triboropa.com/results/queens-water-damage
Past results do not guarantee future outcomes.
How It Works
Four steps, and we handle every one.
1
Inspect.
We walk the property with you, inside and out, including the roof line, the siding and any detached structures.
2
Document.
We photograph and measure every damaged area and collect the mitigation company's drying records.
3
Estimate.
We write a detailed repair estimate built on your home's actual materials and the work it will really take.
4
Negotiate.
We present the claim to your insurer, deal with its adjuster and push for everything the policy covers.
Where We Work on Staten Island
Based in the Bronx, inspecting in person across Staten Island.
We help homeowners, landlords, townhouse and condo owners, boards and businesses on every shore of the Island. Based in the Bronx, serving New York City and New York State.
Staten Island Claim Questions
Questions Staten Island owners ask us.
Do you inspect in person on Staten Island?
Yes. We're based in the Bronx, and we inspect homes and businesses in person anywhere on the Island.
Water came in during a storm. Will my homeowners policy pay?
That depends on how the water got in. Rain that came through a wind-damaged roof or window is usually covered. Rising water from outside is flood, which needs a separate flood policy, and water that backed up through a drain needs a backup endorsement.
With both homeowners and flood insurance, is that two separate claims?
Often, yes. Each insurer adjusts its own part, so the line between wind damage and flood damage matters. We document that line carefully for your homeowners claim.
Does my policy have a separate hurricane deductible?
Many coastal policies do. It's a percentage of your dwelling coverage, and it applies only when a storm meets the policy's trigger. One common trigger is a hurricane landfall in New York declared by the National Weather Service. Your declarations page or hurricane deductible endorsement shows the details.
The fire started in the attached house next door. Does my own policy pay?
Usually, yes. Damage to your side is claimed on your own policy even though the fire began next door, and your insurer may later recover from the other side. The shared wall often needs work on both sides, so the two estimates should line up.
Can you reopen a claim the insurer already paid or denied?
Often, yes. We review the payment or denial against the damage and your policy, and if more is owed, we press for it. Claims have time limits, so call soon.
How does Triboro charge?
Our fee is negotiable and is never more than 12% of the insurance payments made after you hire Triboro. The agreed rate is set out in a written agreement before any work starts. If you don't get paid, we don't get paid.
Claim Services
Help for the loss, the property, and the claim.
Staten Island Claim Review
Get a clear review of your damage, carrier estimate, and next steps.
Start with a free initial claim review.