Insurance Issues with Concrete Foundation Cracks and How to Navigate Them

[EthanMoore]

Hi everyone,

I'm dealing with an issue on a commercial project where we're seeing some cracks in the concrete foundation, and I'm trying to figure out how to handle the insurance side of things. The cracks aren't severe yet, but it's clear that they'll need repair, especially given the building's age and the current weather conditions. The issue is that the insurance company is dragging their feet on covering the repair costs.

Here's the situation: The building was insured under a policy that explicitly covers structural damage. I've documented the cracks with photos and videos, and we've even had an engineer take a look and confirm that it's not a settling issue but more likely a result of expanding and contracting due to temperature changes over time. Despite all of this, the insurer is hesitant to approve the claim because they claim it could be due to "normal wear and tear" or "pre-existing conditions" — neither of which seem to be accurate given the circumstances.

I'm looking for advice on how to approach this. Has anyone else had trouble with insurance companies denying or delaying claims for concrete foundation repairs? What's the best way to handle it, especially if the foundation is technically covered under the policy?

Also, if there's anyone with experience in dealing with concrete repairs in this context, I'd appreciate your thoughts. Should I get another third-party inspection or rely on the documentation I already have? Any tips on how to avoid the delays I'm experiencing?

 

[EthanMoore]

Hi everyone,

I'm dealing with an issue on a commercial project where we're seeing some cracks in the concrete foundation, and I'm trying to figure out how to handle the insurance side of things. The cracks aren't severe yet, but it's clear that they'll need repair, especially given the building's age and the current weather conditions. The issue is that the insurance company is dragging their feet on covering the repair costs.

Here's the situation: The building was insured under a policy that explicitly covers structural damage. I've documented the cracks with photos and videos, and we've even had an engineer take a look and confirm that it's not a settling issue but more likely a result of expanding and contracting due to temperature changes over time. Despite all of this, the insurer is hesitant to approve the claim because they claim it could be due to "normal wear and tear" or "pre-existing conditions" — neither of which seem to be accurate given the circumstances.

I'm looking for advice on how to approach this. Has anyone else had trouble with insurance companies denying or delaying claims for concrete foundation repairs? What's the best way to handle it, especially if the foundation is technically covered under the policy?

Also, if there's anyone with experience in dealing with concrete repairs in this context, I'd appreciate your thoughts. Should I get another third-party inspection or rely on the documentation I already have? Any tips on how to avoid the delays I'm experiencing?

I'm also curious if anyone has successfully worked with an insurance adjuster to get a concrete foundation repair claim approved. I know that many insurance companies can be tricky about structural issues, but I've heard of people getting them to approve it by showing a clear link between the damage and external factors like extreme weather. Any advice on how to word the claim or the type of evidence that worked for you would be great!

 

[marindependent]

This is a Commercial Building insured under a Commercial Property policy?

You mention a "project"- is this a Builders Risk Policy?

How Old is the Foundation? When was the last time work was done on it?