Public adjusters in Dearborn, Michigan.
In June 2021 about two-thirds of Dearborn homes took sewage into their basements, seven years after a storm that flooded or backed up 40 percent of the city's properties. Seven in ten houses here were built before 1960, so repeat losses and older construction both shape what a claim in Dearborn should pay.
AdjustFair works only for the policyholder, from our Ferndale office, about 11 miles northeast of Dearborn. 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 Dearborn claims, and each one comes in short in a predictable way.
- Sewage backup, sometimes for the second time. Dearborn's sewers are combined, and the city's own study found the system handles less than 3.5 inches of rain per event, while the 2014 and 2021 storms each dropped six inches or more in a couple of hours. A backup limit is often applied without checking whether the home's own drain line failed, and a house that flooded before can face questions about old damage, so dated photos of the last repair matter.
- Fire and smoke in older houses. Seven in ten Dearborn homes predate 1960, going back to neighborhoods like Springwells Park, laid out in 1939. Plaster, original hardwood and old ductwork that spreads smoke through the whole house all cost more to restore than an estimate built on drywall and stock trim, and the shortfall sits in the line items that never got written.
- Burst pipes into finished space. One split supply line upstairs can soak a main floor and the basement below it. The first week of drying logs, moisture readings and photos usually decides the claim, so they need to be done properly before the walls are closed up.
A first offer of $1,872 on a fire that settled at $163,282.
An electrical fire that started in the stairway wiring. We scanned the property room by room and brought the mitigation and vendor costs into the claim.
Questions we get here.
Will my policy pay for sewage in my Dearborn basement after a storm?
It depends on the policy. Sewer and drain backup is usually an add-on with its own limit, and flood coverage is separate again. In a combined system the water is sewage, so the cleanup is category 3 work and should be priced that way. Photograph everything before it goes out to the curb and keep every invoice.
My Dearborn basement flooded in 2014 or 2021. Does that hurt a new claim?
It can complicate one. The insurance company may ask what was repaired last time and what was not, and receipts, permits and photos of the finished work are the best answer. A new loss is a new claim, and it should be measured against the house as it stood the day before the water came in.
How soon can an adjuster get out to Dearborn?
Dearborn is about 11 miles from our Ferndale office, so East Dearborn and the west side are both within easy reach. Call the number on this page and you will speak with someone who can lay out the next steps and tell you when an adjuster can be at the property.
Nearby
See every city we cover from our Metro Detroit office in Ferndale.
Let's find out where |your claim stands.
Tell us what happened and we'll tell you honestly what your policy covers and what we would do next. It costs nothing to ask.
