Septic Backup into House, Help Please

[gribur]

We just moved into a rental house a week ago and now the septic tank backed up and flooded the unfinished basement and the first floor bath. The landlord is awesome and he is going to pay our deductable and the cleaning crew has alredy started ripping things out. When it happened people were in and out and tracking the mess all over the house along with our 4 cats who we were trying to catch and they were jumping all over moving boxes, couchers, beds etc. My wife does home daycare and we are worried about the cleanup, how do we make sure everything is decontaminated as we have no clue as to what has or has not been touched? we cant afford to have our or another parents children get ill. We have yet to meet the adjuster but we need to make it clear that everything needs to be cleaned without sounding anal, excuse the pun. help please

 

[scottye7]

The landlord is responsible for this damage not you. Your landlord should have a Dwelling Policy, either 1, 2 or 3. If you are renting, he is responsible for all damages such as water leaks, roofing problems, septic tank back-up. The only thing you should have covered in renters insurance is the personal property you have inside the house. You need to call the Insurance Commission and let them tell you who is responsible for a septic tank back-up because it's definitely not you.
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You can call Metro Public Adjusters to come out and help you with this because any deductible comes out of the claim amount the insurance company pays the claimant. Your landlord should have a policy in place for this if not you can request all your security deposit and first months rent back because it's law that he has to have a Dwelling Policy for renting this property. Don't let your landlord make you think otherwise. I see where you stated he is paying the deductible, is this his insurance or something you have in place. Plus, you can call the Insurance Commission, and ask them these questions because your landlord is definitely liable.

 

[Accelerated]

We just moved into a rental house a week ago and now the septic tank backed up and flooded the unfinished basement and the first floor bath. The landlord is awesome and he is going to pay our deductable and the cleaning crew has alredy started ripping things out. When it happened people were in and out and tracking the mess all over the house along with our 4 cats who we were trying to catch and they were jumping all over moving boxes, couchers, beds etc. My wife does home daycare and we are worried about the cleanup, how do we make sure everything is decontaminated as we have no clue as to what has or has not been touched? we cant afford to have our or another parents children get ill. We have yet to meet the adjuster but we need to make it clear that everything needs to be cleaned without sounding anal, excuse the pun. help please

Why do you have a deductible beyond maybe a renters policy addressing personal property (and business personal property if you are running a business) if you are renting the dwelling?

If the landlord has hired a professional mitigation service, (rather than the local handyman), these services generally do know how to handle black water cleanup. Most of these services will quickly advise you if there are any health issues that could arise from maintaining residence in the dwelling during the mitigation process.

When the adjuster arrives, just show them the damage. The adjuster knows full well that the goal of the inspection is to determine the best way to indemnify (or make whole) the insured. That said, if you are a renter, the dwelling adjuster will be representing the insurance carrier to the insured (your landlord), and the adjuster will likely only be there to address the dwelling damages themselves. If you have a renters policy, then your adjuster will arrive, and all you should need to do is clearly detail the damages to your personal property.

While the guy who posted prior to me yelled about getting a public adjuster (PA), I would advise that you see exactly what your renters policy will handle prior to securing a PA, especially if your landlord is covering your deductible. PA's, for reference, when working the "we don't get paid until you do" angle, typically command 25-33% of the claim settlement as a whole as their commission, which does little to indemnify the insured. (For example, the insurance company settles for 1,000, the PA takes $330, leaving you with $1000 in repairs to do and only $670 in your pocket).

Bottom line: If you have renters insurance, file the claim, and make sure you have your landlords homeowners insurance policy info when your adjuster arrives. Get an agreed scope of damage with your adjuster and provide the landlord policy info to the adjuster. You likely will not have to get into the "who is liable?" or subrogation aspect of the claim. Those aspects are generally handled in-house, and you do not need a PA for any of it, unless you for some reason feel that you are being treated unfairly by an adjuster or insurance carrier.