Public adjusters in Commerce Township, Michigan.
Commerce Township was first settled as a resort destination. Its lakes include Commerce, Union and Lower Straits, and its homes run from lake cottages to custom houses. About a quarter of its housing predates 1970 while the median home was built in 1988, so two houses on the same shore can call for very different repairs.
AdjustFair works only for the policyholder, from our Ferndale office, about 20 miles southeast of Commerce Township. We read the policy, document the full loss, price the repair the way a contractor would have to build it, and put that number in front of the insurance company with the proof behind it.
Where claims here get underpaid.
Three kinds of loss do most of the damage on Commerce Township claims, and each one gets shortchanged in a different spot.
- Basement water when the power goes out. During storms on August 24, 2023 at least nine high-voltage poles went down near Haggerty and West Maple, and residents were told power could take several days to return; on August 27, 2024 downed lines and trees closed parts of Welch and Wixom roads. When the power fails the sump pump stops, and the water that follows is usually covered only under a water back-up and sump endorsement with its own limit, so the policy needs to be read before the cleanup is priced. If sewage came in with it, that is category 3 water, and the finished materials it touched have to come out, not just be dried.
- Fire and smoke that start outside the house. At the end of April 2021 a fire in a Commerce Township carport set off several large propane tanks, destroyed the carport and left smoke damage in the home. When a fire starts in a garage, carport or deck, the house is often left standing, and the smoke inside gets written up as a light cleaning after it has worked into insulation, ductwork and every closet.
- Apartment and commercial buildings. On February 18, 2022 a fire at the Barrington Apartments, then under construction on Pontiac Trail near Welch Road, destroyed six of the building's eight units. On a multi-unit or commercial building the first estimate is often written from what can be seen, and the roof structure, wall assemblies and shared mechanical systems behind the finishes go undocumented, along with the rent or income lost while the building is out of service.
Five months in, the claim had not moved. Appraisal moved it.
A supply line failed under the kitchen island, and the claim then sat for five months. Documented with DocuSketch and vendor pricing, and resolved at appraisal.
Questions we get here.
My Commerce Township sump pump stopped when the power went out. Is the basement covered?
Often only if the policy has a water back-up and sump discharge endorsement, and that endorsement usually carries its own limit, so read it before agreeing to anything. After the August 2023 storms, residents near Haggerty and West Maple were told power could be out for days. Photograph the water line, keep the pump, and get the cause in writing.
My Commerce Township lake house started as a cottage and has been added onto. Does that matter?
It can. A house that grew in stages often has framing, roof lines, wiring and plumbing from different decades, and every repair has to tie into each of them. The shortfall in these estimates is usually in what they leave out, not in the price per item. We document the house as it was actually built, room by room, and price the repair that way.
How soon can an adjuster get to Commerce Township?
Commerce Township is about 20 miles northwest of our Ferndale office, so anywhere from Union Lake down to the Walled Lake line is within reach for us. Call the number on this page and someone will tell you what to protect and photograph before cleanup starts, and when an adjuster can meet you at the property.
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