Public adjusters in the Grosse Pointes, Michigan.
In June 2021 about 1,300 homes in Grosse Pointe Farms flooded, and Grosse Pointe Park measured 8.1 inches of rain in a day. At least seven in ten houses in the Park, the Farms, the City and the Woods were built before 1960, many of them large, which raises the cost of any repair.
AdjustFair works only for the policyholder, from our office in Ferndale, about 12 miles west of the Pointes. 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 claims in the Grosse Pointes start in one of three places, and each has its own way of coming in short.
- Sewer backup in finished basements. The June 2021 storm put water into about 1,300 homes in the Farms alone, and Grosse Pointe Park had basement backups five times between 2011 and 2023. When part of that water came from a cracked or blocked drain line under the house, a backup sublimit may not be the whole answer, and the question often turns on a plumber's note a few lines long.
- Fire and smoke in large older homes. Houses here run from bungalows to mansions on the lake, and most were built before 1960. Smoke travels through old framing, chases and ductwork into rooms the fire never touched, and custom millwork, plaster and original floors get priced as builder-grade replacements when no one documents what was really there.
- Burst pipes across several floors. A frozen line on an upper floor of a big house can run through two stories of plaster before anyone finds it. The drying records, photos and moisture readings from the first week decide most of these claims, and the contents of a large home are almost always undercounted on the first pass.
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.
Is a basement backup in Grosse Pointe covered after a storm like June 2021?
It depends on the policy and on where the water came in. Sewer and drain backup is usually an endorsement with its own limit, and flood is separate coverage. Parts of the Pointes, the Woods among them, have long run combined sewers that carry storm water and sewage in the same lines, so the cleanup is often sewage work and should be priced that way.
Can you handle a large or historic house in the Pointes?
Yes, and that is where estimates tend to fall furthest short. Plaster walls, original millwork, hardwood floors and custom kitchens get written as drywall, stock trim and builder-grade cabinets. Big houses also hold far more contents than a first inventory counts. We document the house as it was built and price the repair to match.
How fast can someone reach Grosse Pointe Park, the Farms or the Woods?
Our Ferndale office is about 12 miles from the Pointes, so anywhere from the Park up to Grosse Pointe Shores is a short trip across town for us. Call the number on this page and you will talk to someone who can explain the next steps and set a time for an adjuster to see the property.
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