Commercial · Apartments and multifamily

An apartment fire puts your lender, your rent roll and your residents in motion at once. The first week sets up the claim.

Name: Crossroads Insurance Recovery Advocates
Address: 1080 W Sam Houston Pkwy N Ste 210, Houston, TX, 77043, US
Telephone: 713-369-4300
Rating: 4.9

Last updated: October 2026

Your servicer has its own deadlines. Units that never burned can still come off the rent roll. Texas ties the repair clock to when insurance money arrives. We document and negotiate the full loss for the owner, and we tell you plainly when a question belongs with your attorney.

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14 days

A Freddie Mac servicer must report a hazard loss within 14 days of learning of it. A Fannie Mae servicer reports losses of $75,000 or more within 30 days, or 10 days after a serious injury or death. Your lender's clock can run as fast as the carrier's.

Sources: Freddie Mac Form 1140 (12/2025); Fannie Mae Multifamily Guide §414 and Form 178.

First 72 hours

The first 72 hours after an apartment fire: what owners and managers do first

In the first days, residents are displaced, investigators work the scene and the lender clock starts. Each of those leaves a paper trail that the claim will later depend on.

Secure the building, then leave the origin alone. Texas lets a landlord interrupt utilities or keep tenants out only for bona fide repairs, construction or an emergency (Prop. Code §92.008 and §92.0081). How that applies to your building is a question for your attorney.

Give the carrier written notice. A Texas insurer has 15 days after written notice to acknowledge the claim, start investigating and request documents. Surplus lines carriers get 30 business days. Log every claim number.

Call your servicer and read the loan's casualty clause. Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae servicers have their own reporting deadlines, and the loan documents control who receives the money.

Start a unit-by-unit matrix today: damaged, uninhabitable, off-line from utilities, and residents relocated. Freddie Mac's restoration plan asks for exactly this, and 10% of units damaged is one of its approval triggers.

Photograph and record everything. TDI says to keep damaged property until the adjuster releases it, make only temporary repairs and keep every receipt. Keep a log of everyone you talk to.

Preserve the evidence at the origin. If a battery is suspected, keep the device, charger and outlet for the cause-and-origin expert. A carrier that pays may pursue a responsible resident or contractor.

Route resident notices through your attorney. After a 2020 fire in Round Rock, 22 residents were given five days to move, and the notices drew press coverage.

Sources: Tex. Prop. Code §92.008, §92.0081; Tex. Ins. Code §542.055; Freddie Mac Form 1140; TDI recovery tips; KXAN (2020).

Lenders and insurance proceeds

Tell your lender: Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and HUD deadlines

On an agency or HUD loan, the lender sits on the check and controls how the money comes out. Its rules shape the rebuild schedule as much as the carrier's do.

Lender	Notice deadline	Who the check goes to	How money is released
Freddie Mac (Form 1140)	Part I notice within 14 days after the servicer learns of the loss. Part II restoration plan within 90 days when Freddie Mac approval is needed. Triggers include 10% or more of units damaged, or an estimated loss over $500,000 or 10% of UPB	Not stated on the form; check your loan documents	Part II asks for a statement of loss, current rent roll, adjuster's report, photos, ACORD evidence of insurance and repair-cost documents
Fannie Mae (Guide §414, Form 178)	Form 178 within 30 days for losses of $75,000 or more; 10 days if serious injury or death occurred	Drafts payable to Fannie Mae in care of the servicer	Custodial account. Monthly draws, a 10% holdback on contract work not yet complete, and invoices and lien releases above the lesser of $25,000 or 1% of UPB
HUD-insured (Handbook 4350.1, ch. 21)	No deadline found in the chapter	Loss drafts name three joint payees: the owner, the lender and the HUD Secretary	Rental value coverage sized to debt service is required for Section 202 projects and recommended for all HUD-insured projects

Restore or pay down

Fannie Mae may apply proceeds to the loan, in its sole discretion, if repairs will not finish in time. The test is the earlier of loan maturity or one year after the casualty. Losses over $75,000 also need a restoration agreement, Form 6615 or 6639. A rebuild plan that runs past a year invites that decision.

What the lender rules do to your timeline

Permits, plan approval and a licensed, bonded contractor must be in place before the first non-emergency draw
Draws come no more than monthly, so contractors are paid in arrears and your cash flow carries the gap
The lender wants the carrier's proof of loss and the adjuster's report, so request both from the carrier in writing
In a 2026 Houston-area portfolio dispute, a court-appointed receiver reported insurance certificates with policy numbers that did not match the properties; the sponsor's attorney said it denies all allegations. Confirm the program on file with your servicer matches your policy.

Texas requires every claim check to name the insured as a payee, and a public adjuster may not endorse it for you. Disputes with a lender over proceeds or loan terms belong with your attorney.

Sources: Freddie Mac Form 1140; Fannie Mae Multifamily Guide §§314.09, 414, 414.10, 414.12 and Form 178; HUD Handbook 4350.1 ch. 21; Bisnow (Oct 2026); Tex. Ins. Code §4102.104.

How the damage spreads

The claim-sized fire is the one that leaves its room

Most multifamily fires stay small. U.S. multifamily buildings average about 106,700 fires a year, and 71% are confined fires such as cooking fires. The money sits in the rest. A nonconfined multifamily fire averaged $47,300 in losses, against $190 for a confined one.

Of nonconfined multifamily fires, 31% spread beyond the room of origin and 21% beyond the floor. About 15% had full or partial sprinklers; 79% had none. Smoke alarms were present in 64% of these fires and operated in 42%.

Braesridge Drive, December 2025

A fire in southwest Houston damaged an estimated 20 to 30 units across three buildings. One resident died, and the cause was under investigation. Spread across buildings multiplies the scope.

Club Creek Drive, May 2025

A Houston fire damaged 16 units. It displaced 4 people directly and 35 more through the power outage it caused. The same building had burned at least twice before. Utility loss takes unburned units offline.

The Landing, Round Rock, February 2020

Residents whose own units were undamaged were told to move out within five days. The building had no sprinklers. Every unit's status belongs in the claim, burned or not.

What we do about it

On the day the carrier's adjuster walks through, the units that did not burn can look fine. We bring in industrial hygienists to document how far smoke and soot actually traveled, and we track every unit's status in one matrix. That record drives both the repair scope and the loss-of-rents claim.

Cause and origin sets the clock

If the insurer reasonably suspects arson, it has 30 days instead of 15 business days to accept or reject the claim. Both 2025 Houston fires above were still under investigation when reported. In USFA data, a design, manufacture or installation deficiency contributed to only 1% of nonconfined multifamily fires. Misuse of a material or product contributed to 45%. When a recovery target exists, it is more often someone's conduct than a manufacturer, so origin evidence matters.

Sources: USFA Multifamily Residential Building Fires 2017 to 2019 (v21i7); FOX 26 Houston (2025); ABC13 (2025); KXAN (2020); Tex. Ins. Code §542.056(b).

The business interruption fight

How loss of rents is measured, from the rent roll through lease-up

Apartment income loss is lost rent, and agency lenders set the coverage floor. Fannie Mae requires 12 months of actual loss sustained, or limits based on EGI or on NOI plus continuing expenses. Freddie Mac requires 12 months of rental income.

The three windows of a rent-loss claim

Units down during repair

rent stops on every unit that is damaged, uninhabitable or off-line from utilities. The waiting period matters here. Fannie Mae caps it at the property deductible or 72 hours, and the standard ISO form pays income loss starting 72 hours after the physical loss.

Residents who terminate

under Texas Prop. Code §92.054(b), either side may end the lease if a unit is totally unusable. Each termination stops that unit's rent, so it belongs on the rent-loss schedule. Whether your coverage reaches that rent, and when that loss ends, is a policy and counsel question.

Lease-up after the rebuild

the standard ISO form adds 60 days of extended business income after repairs, and an endorsement can buy more. Fannie Mae requires at least 90 days on loans of $35 million or more. Houston's Palm Beach Estates went from 95% occupied to 70% in a year after two 2024 storms, so lease-up can outlast both windows.

How we build it

We do not hand the carrier one calculation. We start from the rent roll, EGI and NOI. Then we model the loss several independent ways: against pre-loss occupancy and concessions, the real unit-by-unit restoration timeline, and the policy's rents and extended periods. We use those models against each other. The look-back period matters too, because a soft year inside a multi-year average can drag your baseline down when it does not reflect normal operations.

Inputs to assemble now

Current rent roll and pre-loss occupancy reports
Annual or annualized EGI and NOI, trailing 12-month statements (T-12) and budget
Concessions history and leasing traffic reports
Other income such as parking, pet fees and utility reimbursements
Every termination notice sent or received

Under the standard business income form, the limit must equal at least the coinsurance percentage times 12 months of net income plus operating expenses, or each payment shrinks. Agreed value options suspend coinsurance.

Run your numbers in the Business Income Worksheet and check your limit with the Coinsurance Penalty Calculator.

$47,300

average loss in a nonconfined multifamily fire, against $190 for a confined one.

USFA, 2017 to 2019

56%

drop in appraised value at Houston's 881-unit Palm Beach Estates after the May 2024 derecho and Hurricane Beryl, while occupancy fell from 95% to 70%.

Bisnow, March 2025

40%+

of business interruption claim value came from fire and explosion across about 8,000 claims from 2021 to 2025. Allianz named lead times and tariffs as duration drivers.

Allianz via Insurance Journal, October 2026

Sources: Fannie Mae Multifamily Guide §501.02D; Freddie Mac insurance guidelines handout; ISO CP 00 30; Tex. Prop. Code §92.054; Bisnow (2025); Insurance Journal (2026).

Your coverage

What your property program covers: building, rents, code upgrades and extra expense

Agency lender minimums are the best public map of a normal apartment program. Most fights land on its edges: deductibles, valuation, code upgrades, flood and mold.

Coverage	Typical limit or term	What to check
Building limit and coinsurance	Fannie Mae requires a special-peril form at 100% of insurable value (90% for multi-building properties), with no coinsurance or a 100% agreed amount	Whether the agreed amount is current, and whether limits set before 2025 still match rebuild cost
Replacement cost vs. ACV	Fannie Mae lets roofs be insured at actual cash value and everything else at replacement cost	Which items are scheduled at ACV, and the deadline to recover held-back depreciation
All-other-perils (AOP) deductible	Fannie Mae caps it at $50,000 or $100,000 by tier, and $250,000 on blanket policies	The amount on the declarations and how it applies across buildings
Wind/hail and named storm deductibles	Fannie Mae caps wind/hail at 5% and named storm at 7.5% of Total Insurable Value	The value the percentage applies to, and whether back-to-back storms are one claim or two
Rental value (business income)	12 months of actual loss sustained, or an EGI or NOI basis; waiting period no longer than the deductible or 72 hours	The limit against 12 months of EGI, the waiting period and the extended-period days
Ordinance or law	Fannie Mae requires it for non-conforming properties: A (undamaged portion), B (demolition) and C (increased cost of construction) at set minimums, and D (added restoration time) for buildings of five stories or more	Limits for A through D, and what the city will require on rebuild
Flood	A separate NFIP or private policy, usually with a 30-day wait	Building and rental-value limits under the flood policy
Equipment breakdown	Required where regulated boilers or pressure vessels operate; a separate carrier needs a joint loss agreement on both policies	Whether both policies carry the joint loss agreement
Water and mold	Sudden pipe bursts are usually covered and gradual leaks are not (TDI, homeowner context)	The mold sublimit, and that vendors hold Texas mold licenses
Extra expense	TDI lists it beside business interruption; terms vary by policy	Whether it pays fire watch, security, temporary power or resident relocation; ask before you promise residents anything

Valuation and rebuild prices

Replacement cost claims usually pay ACV first and the rest once repairs start and are documented. Some insurers treat a cashed check as final, so ask before cashing. Prices are still moving. Steel mill products rose 27.6% and softwood lumber 14.2% in the year to September 2026. One contractor reported fire sprinkler material up about 9 to 10%. An estimate priced on older cost data may lag.

Code upgrades

The base commercial form's own code-upgrade coverage is the lesser of 5% of the building limit or $10,000. Ordinance or law coverage C pays only if the building is actually repaired or rebuilt.

The valued-policy rule (for your attorney)

Texas Insurance Code §862.053 treats a fire policy as a liquidated demand for its full amount when insured real property is a total loss by fire. It excludes personal property. Whether your building is a total loss, and how the rule meets blanket limits and multi-building schedules, are questions for your attorney.

Sources: Fannie Mae Multifamily Guide ch. 5; TDI commercial property guide; TDI disaster FAQ; BLS PPI (Oct 2026); Linbeck Q1 2026; ISO CP 04 05; Tex. Occ. Code §1958.101; Tex. Ins. Code §862.053.

Timeline

Why apartment claims stall: proof of loss, lender draws, permits and lead times

The carrier's decision clock starts only when it has every item it asked for. That makes its document requests your fastest lever. Answer them completely, in writing, and keep the date each one went out.

Step	Texas deadline
Acknowledge the claim and request documents	15 days after written notice (30 business days for surplus lines)
Accept or reject in writing	15 business days after receiving all requested items
Accept or reject when arson is suspected	30 days after receiving all requested items
Pay an accepted claim	5 business days (20 business days for surplus lines)
TDI-designated weather catastrophe	Each deadline gets 15 more days
Sworn proof of loss (standard ISO form)	Due within 60 days after the insurer asks for it

Work out your dates with the Texas Prompt Payment Deadline Calculator.

What stretches the period of restoration

Insurance proceeds start the Texas repair clock. For an insured casualty, the landlord's repair period begins only when proceeds arrive (Prop. Code §92.054(a)), so a slow carrier keeps units down longer. Your attorney can tell you how that applies to your residents.
Lender draws: permits, plan approval and a bonded contractor before the first draw, then monthly draws and a 10% holdback.
Permits: one architecture firm said Houston permits that took about two months were being planned at four to six months in 2022.
Code delay: the standard form leaves code-enforcement delay out of the period of restoration unless an endorsement adds it.
Lead times: one contractor reported steel at 22 to 24 weeks in early 2026, and another reported 40 to 65 weeks for pad-mount transformers.
Catastrophes: Camden Property Trust said parts and workers could not be had during Winter Storm Uri.

Sources: Tex. Ins. Code §§542.055 to 542.059; ISO CP 00 30; Tex. Prop. Code §92.054; Fannie Mae Guide §414.12; Bisnow (2022); Linbeck (2026); Terrapin Construction Group (2026).

What the carrier will try

The shortfalls in these claims are predictable. So is how we fight them.

Large losses in this sector are contested on a handful of recurring fronts. None of these mean the carrier is acting in bad faith, it means the policy is complex and the default reading of it favors the insurer unless someone pushes back with documentation. Here's what they try, and what we do about each.

Unit count

Rent and repairs get scoped to the burned units only.

Our move: a unit-by-unit matrix and industrial hygienist findings show every unit that is damaged, uninhabitable or off-line from utilities.

Rent baseline

Lost rent is measured on a soft baseline or the wrong look-back period.

Our move: we build the loss from the rent roll, EGI, NOI, T-12 and concessions history, and test it several ways before we present it.

Restoration period

The rebuild timeline is set shorter than permits, lender draws and lead times allow.

Our move: dated permit steps, the lender's draw requirements and vendor lead times set the real period.

Lease-up

Rent loss is cut off the day the last unit is finished.

Our move: we document occupancy and leasing traffic from reopening and claim the extended period of indemnity the policy provides.

Valuation

Replacement cost is paid at actual cash value, with depreciation held back.

Our move: we document replacement-cost entitlement and track the deadline to recover held-back depreciation.

Code upgrades

Sprinkler, electrical or accessibility work the city requires is called betterment.

Our move: we tie each requirement to the ordinance-or-law coverage A through D that you bought.

Deductibles

Two storms become two deductibles, or the larger deductible gets applied.

Our move: we document each event's damage separately. TDI has said insurers may decide case by case whether a second deductible applies.

Texas landlord-tenant law

Your residents and the lease: what the Texas Property Code says

These rules shape the claim, because they set when repairs start, who may leave and what you owe on the way out. We state the text here so you know what to ask. Applying it to your residents is your attorney's job.

Rule	What the text says	Why it matters to the claim
Prop. Code §92.054	The repair period for an insured casualty starts when insurance proceeds arrive. If a unit is totally unusable, either side may end the lease by written notice before repairs are done, with a pro rata rent refund. A partial rent cut needs a court judgment unless the lease says otherwise. These rights apply only if the tenant's side did not cause the loss	Carrier speed sets the repair clock; terminations feed the rent loss
Prop. Code §92.062	After a natural disaster, a transfer lease to another unit cannot run past the original lease term	Limits lock-in when you move residents
Prop. Code §92.008 and §92.0081	Utility interruption or tenant exclusion only for bona fide repairs, construction or an emergency	Frames shutting off and securing a burned building
Prop. Code §92.055	Moving expenses are required in one narrow case: closing the premises after a tenant's repair notice	Relocation questions go to counsel
Prop. Code §92.103 and §92.104	Deposit refunds within 30 days, with itemized deductions	Terminations bring deposit accounting
Prop. Code §92.0135	Floodplain disclosure at lease signing, for leases from 2022; without it, a tenant with substantial flood loss may terminate within 30 days	Flood events can bring extra terminations

Displaced residents often have their own coverage. Renters policies often include additional living expenses, and The Landing in Round Rock required renters insurance in its leases. Whether your own policy pays any relocation depends on its wording.

Sources: Tex. Prop. Code §§92.008, 92.0081, 92.054, 92.055, 92.062, 92.0135, 92.103, 92.104; Marshall Fire rental FAQ via United Policyholders (2022); KXAN (2020).

Texas

Freeze, hail, wind, hurricane and water losses at Texas apartment communities

Fire is only half the story for Texas owners. In NMHC's 2023 survey, 24.6% of multifamily firms named a Texas or Southern freeze as their largest loss in three years, and 23.8% named fire. Camden Property Trust reported about $20 million of Winter Storm Uri water damage across 53 properties.

Freeze

After Uri, 28.6% of Texas commercial property claims and 33.1% of business income claims had closed without payment by June 2022. Freeze damage surfaces late, so keep documenting for months.

Hurricane and coastal wind

Beryl knocked out power to more than 2.6 million Texas customers in July 2024. Galveston Bay-area Harris County properties likely need TWIA for wind and hail, and TWIA claims must be filed within one year of the damage.

Hail and back-to-back storms

NOAA counted more than 14,000 significant Texas hail events from 2000 to 2023. After Beryl, TDI said insurers may decide case by case whether a second deductible applies.

Flood

Flood needs its own policy, usually with a 30-day wait. TDI has reminded insurers of the 60-day reporting window for federal flood losses.

The Palm Beach Estates lesson

Palm Beach Estates is an 881-unit Class C complex in Greenspoint, built in 1976. The May 2024 derecho and Hurricane Beryl both damaged it. Its appraised value fell from $86.3 million to $38.1 million, and its $54 million loan has been in special servicing since October 2024. Document each event's damage separately so deductibles and causation can be split.

Houston floodplain and vacancy rules

In Houston flood zones A, AO and AE, repairs count as non-substantial only if they cost less than 50% of the structure's appraised value. The permit needs a sealed or notarized itemized estimate plus an HCAD summary, an appraisal or an elevation certificate. After Beryl and the July 2026 storms, TDI asked insurers to suspend vacancy provisions for displaced policyholders. Check how your vacancy clause treats a building with down units during a long rebuild.

Sources: NMHC 2023 State of Multifamily Risk; Bisnow (2022, 2025); TDI winter weather summary (2022); Insurance Journal (2024); Tex. Ins. Code §2210.573; United Policyholders (2026); TDI B-0012-24, B-0007-24, B-0007-25, B-0006-26; TDI commercial property guide; Houston Permitting Center.

Checklist

The multifamily claim checklist

Build one shared folder that mirrors Freddie Mac's Form 1140 Part II and Fannie Mae's Form 178. The same file then answers the carrier and the servicer.

Policy and program

full policy with every endorsement, declarations and schedule of locations and values; rental value form, waiting period and extended period of indemnity; ordinance or law limits A through D; AOP, wind/hail and named storm deductibles; flood policy; equipment breakdown and any joint loss agreement; ACORD evidence of insurance and the mortgagee clause checked against the loan; TWIA policy and its one-year filing date if coastal.

The loss

date and time of loss, and the date the servicer was told; fire department incident number and fire marshal contact; photos, video, a damaged-property list and a contact log; receipts for temporary repairs and emergency services; the unit-by-unit matrix; for a suspected battery fire, the device, charger and outlet.

Rent loss

current rent roll; annual or annualized EGI and NOI; pre-loss occupancy reports, concessions history, T-12 and budget; other income such as parking, pet fees and utility reimbursements; leasing traffic reports and every termination notice.

Lender

the loan's casualty and insurance-proceeds clauses; restoration agreement (Form 6615 or 6639) for losses over $75,000; contractor license and bond, permits and plan approvals; invoices and lien releases for draws; for HUD properties, loss drafts with the three joint payees.

Residents (for your attorney)

lease forms and any casualty or rent-reduction terms; termination notices, forwarding addresses and deposit accounting; floodplain disclosures for leases from 2022; smoke alarm move-in test records; transfer leases for displaced residents.

Payments

proof the deductible was paid. TDI says contractors may not waive it.

The insurance company's adjuster works for the insurance company.

After a major loss, the carrier sends its own adjuster, and often a forensic accountant and engineering consultants, all retained by the insurer. They are competent and they are not neutral; their job is to resolve the claim on terms favorable to the company that pays them. A public adjuster is the licensed counterweight: we represent the policyholder only, we build and present the claim, and we negotiate the settlement.

On an apartment loss the asymmetry is the whole problem. The carrier can bring origin and cause, electrical, structural, industrial hygiene and forensic accounting experts. We document the full loss with the same rigor, and we are paid a percentage of what we recover, so our incentive is your number. Texas caps a public adjuster's total fee at 10% of the settlement, and you may cancel our contract in writing within 72 hours of signing. We are licensed public adjusters, not attorneys, and we do not repair property we adjust. Some questions turn on resident rights, lender terms or how policy language applies in a dispute. On those, we work beside your attorney, broker and lender, not in place of them.

What happens after you call.

Loss review and policy analysis

We read the actual policy - limits, loss-of-rents provisions and any 12-month cap, ordinance-or-law, valuation terms, exclusions - and assess the full scope before anyone commits to a number.

Document everything, including the smoke migration

Structure, every affected unit, common areas, and the true reach of smoke through shared walls and HVAC. We bring in industrial hygienists to establish which units are genuinely uninhabitable, while the evidence still exists.

Build the loss-of-rents claim, modeled against the real rebuild

From your actual rent roll and occupancy: the unit-by-unit restoration timeline, the policy's rents period, and the right look-back baseline, documented to substantiate the full loss against the genuine restoration period.

Present, negotiate, and settle

We present the documented claim, contest the predictable shortfalls, and negotiate the settlement on your behalf through to resolution.

Questions apartment owners and multifamily operators ask.

What should an apartment owner do in the first 72 hours after a fire?

Secure the building and leave the origin intact. Give the carrier written notice, call your servicer, and start a unit-by-unit list of damaged, uninhabitable and off-line units. Photograph everything, keep damaged property until the adjuster releases it, and route resident notices through your attorney.

How fast do I have to notify my Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac servicer?

Check your loan documents today. A Freddie Mac servicer must send notice within 14 days of learning of a loss. A Fannie Mae servicer files Form 178 within 30 days for losses of $75,000 or more, or 10 days after a serious injury or death.

Who gets the insurance check when the property has an agency or HUD loan?

On Fannie Mae loans, drafts are payable to Fannie Mae in care of the servicer and go into a custodial account. HUD loss drafts name the owner, the lender and the HUD Secretary. Texas also requires the insured to be named as a payee. Disputes over proceeds belong with your attorney.

How is loss of rents calculated for an apartment community?

It starts from the rent roll, EGI and NOI. It covers three windows: units down during repair, units vacated by residents who terminate, and the lease-up after the rebuild. Fannie Mae requires coverage of 12 months of actual loss sustained, or limits based on EGI or NOI.

What is an extended period of indemnity, and why does lease-up matter?

It pays income that stays below normal after repairs are done. The standard form gives 60 days; Fannie Mae requires at least 90 days on loans of $35 million or more. Houston's Palm Beach Estates fell from 95% to 70% occupied in a year after two storms.

Can a Texas landlord or resident end the lease after a fire?

Texas Property Code §92.054(b) lets either side end the lease by written notice if a unit is totally unusable, unless the tenant's side caused the loss. The tenant gets a pro rata rent refund. Partial rent cuts need a court judgment unless the lease says otherwise. Ask your attorney how this applies.

Does insurance pay for code upgrades when rebuilding an older complex?

Only to the limits you bought. The base form's code coverage is the lesser of 5% of the building limit or $10,000. Ordinance or law coverage adds parts A through D, and part C pays only if you actually repair or rebuild.

Which deductible applies to hail, wind or named-storm damage, and what if two storms hit?

Read the declarations: AOP, wind/hail and named storm deductibles often differ, and percentage deductibles apply to a stated value. After back-to-back storms, TDI said insurers may decide case by case whether a second deductible applies. Document each event's damage separately.

Should I report a small two-unit fire, or will a claim cost me at renewal?

Owners do worry about this. In one forum thread, an owner reported a deductible rising to $100,000 after several claims. But your loan documents may require reporting, and a fire that leaves its room averaged $47,300 in USFA data. Weigh it with your broker before deciding.

The fire marshal is investigating. Does that hold up my claim?

The claim must keep moving. If the insurer reasonably suspects arson, Texas gives it 30 days instead of 15 business days to accept or reject after it has every item it requested. Answer document requests completely and in writing.

Are burst pipes from a freeze covered?

TDI says sudden pipe bursts are usually covered and gradual leaks are not. Freeze damage can surface late, so keep documenting. After Uri, 28.6% of Texas commercial property claims had closed without payment by June 2022.

What can't a public adjuster do?

We cannot practice law, repair property we adjusted, profit from firms working the claim, or endorse your claim check. Texas caps our total fee at 10% of the settlement and lets you cancel the contract in writing within 72 hours of signing.

What does it cost to hire a public adjuster?

We work on a percentage of the recovery, with no upfront cost. We're only paid if and when you recover, which aligns our incentive with maximizing your settlement. Fee specifics are discussed up front before you commit to anything.

Talk to us

Tell us what happened. We'll tell you straight whether you have a fight worth having.

No cost, no obligation. The fastest path is the phone - for a major loss, call and talk to a person today. A licensed Texas public insurance adjuster will review the loss with you.

713-369-4300

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For fire claims, we call you back within 1 hour and visit your property within 24 hours or less.

A major loss is decided in the first moves. Make yours count.

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Crossroads Insurance Recovery Advocates · TDI License 1924788

This page is general educational information about commercial property claims, not legal advice or advice on your specific claim. Crossroads Insurance Recovery Advocates, Texas public adjuster entity license #1924788.

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