Public adjusters in Detroit, Michigan.
Nearly eight in ten Detroit homes were built before 1960, and most neighborhoods drain into a combined sewer that backed up into basements across the city in August 2014 and June 2021. Plaster, old drain lines and big historic houses like those in Boston-Edison all raise what a loss here costs to repair.
AdjustFair works only for the policyholder, from our office just north of 8 Mile on Woodward in Ferndale. 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.
Most serious Detroit claims follow one of three patterns, and each one tends to come in short for its own reasons.
- Sewage in the basement. After more than six inches of rain on June 25 and 26, 2021, DWSD received nearly 20,000 damage claims and close to 39,000 Detroit households got FEMA aid. The owner is responsible for the sewer line from the house to the city connection, so whether the water came from a full city sewer or a cracked private line can change which part of the policy applies, and a backup limit is often applied before anyone has watched the plumber's camera video.
- Fire and smoke in older houses. The typical Detroit house dates to 1947, and fires that start in a vacant house can jump to the occupied one next door, as one did on the east side in August 2025. Smoke moves through old framing and ductwork into rooms the flames never reached, and an estimate written in drywall and stock trim leaves out the plaster, hardwood and millwork the house actually has.
- Burst pipes in apartment buildings and big homes. When extreme cold burst pipes and sprinkler heads in a Midtown apartment building in December 2022, a leak that started on the third floor reached nearly every unit and displaced every resident. In a multi-story building or a large older house one break soaks several floors at once, and the claim is usually settled by the drying logs, moisture readings and photos from the first week.
No first offer. The claim settled at the $190,000 dwelling limit.
A house fire in Detroit. We were engaged before the insurance company had put any number on the claim, documented the structure inside and out, and it settled at the dwelling limit.
Questions we get here.
Should I file with DWSD or my own policy after a Detroit basement backup?
Often both. Michigan law requires a written claim to the utility within 45 days of discovering the backup, and DWSD asks you to call 313-267-8000 first for a service request number. DWSD says a claim will likely be denied when heavy rain simply overwhelmed the sewer, so your own policy's backup coverage, if it has it, usually carries the loss.
My house is in Boston-Edison or another Detroit historic district. Does that change the claim?
It can. In Detroit's local historic districts, exterior work such as a roof, windows, siding or even paint needs Historic District Commission approval, and replacement materials have to be appropriate to the house. That can push the repair cost past a standard estimate. Whether the policy pays the difference depends on its ordinance or law coverage, so that section gets read first.
How fast can an adjuster reach a Detroit property?
Our office is on Woodward just north of 8 Mile, so the city line is minutes away and downtown is about 10 miles away. Call the number on this page and someone will explain what happens next and when an adjuster can be at the house, the apartment building or the storefront.
Nearby
See every city we cover from our Metro Detroit office in Ferndale.
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