Welcome To The Board, Part II

Published March 2018

Editor’s Note: The first Welcome to the Board article was published in the February issue and can be accessed at www.fcapgroup.com/flcaj/flcaj-articles/welcome-to-the-board/. Below are two more important pieces of advice for those serving on their community’s board of directors.

Keep Your Trash Collector Hat in the Closet

By Jay Leshefsky

       Board members must wear many hats, but it’s safe to say that trash collector is one of the least desired. If things work as they should, you hear very little if anything about trash, but trash spilled in the yard and blowing down the block quickly changes that! It only takes a windy day to knock over the trash carts and blow trash all over the community to create a mess and a bunch of unhappy residents. Or, maybe it’s just a couple of raccoons or dogs that knock over the cart. With the Cart Lock from Serio-Us Lock, you can eliminate that problem. The Cart Lock is smart enough to know the difference between being knocked over and being dumped. The lock works by gravity, meaning it will open automatically when the cart gets dumped by the trash truck, so your resident is not involved in the dump process. The cart will stay locked when knocked over in any direction, and it will open when dumped, regardless of which way the cart is facing when dumped. By using the Cart Lock, you can keep your trash collector hat in the closet where it belongs.

       Jay Leshefsky is National Sales Manager with Serio-Us Lock. For more information, call (800) 245-6251, email sales@seriouslock, or visit www.seriouslock.com. 

Hurricane Insurance Claims: Denied or Underpaid—You Can Fight Back!

By Rami Boaziz, Esq.

       As we make our way into the hurricane season of 2018, many associations are still dealing with unresolved insurance claims for damages sustained by Hurricane Irma. While the East Coast of Florida was spared a direct hit, nearly the entire state of Florida felt the effects of Hurricane Irma and sustained significant property damage.

       One of the strongest pieces of advice is to make sure that a claim is filed with your insurance carrier if you sustained damage from Hurricane Irma. Even though a preliminary inspection reveals that the damage may not exceed the deductible, you have a duty to put your insurance carrier on notice so that if you later find the damages exceed your deductible, you are not on the “defense” when the insurance carrier argues that prompt notice was not provided.

       As associations begin receiving correspondence that their claims have been denied or that the insurance carrier determined that the damages do not exceed the deductible, associations should be aware that they can fight back and dispute these positions. While the insurance carrier may have properly denied the claim in certain scenarios, it is imperative that the association seek the assistance and advice of a professional public adjuster who is well-versed and experienced in handling property damage claims for condominium and homeowner associations.

       Rami Boaziz is a Senior Public Adjuster at Stellar Public Adjusting, which provides insurance claim representation to community associations throughout Florida. He can be reached directly at rami@stellaradjusting.com or at the Miami office by calling (305) 396-9110. www.stellaradjusting.com.