Public adjusters in Inkster, Michigan.

Fire leads the list of serious losses in Inkster, with water from inside the house close behind, and each gets underpaid in a known way.

• House fires and smoke in older homes. With most Inkster houses built before 1960, smoke and heat from a fire work into older framing, attics and ductwork well past the room where it started. Estimates tend to come in short on the count of line items rather than the prices, with a room written as paint and wipe-down when the insulation, wiring and finishes behind the walls need replacing. Testing and photos taken before cleanup are what prove the difference.
• Fire in apartment buildings. On August 9, 2022 a fire destroyed a building at Heatherwoods Apartments and displaced 12 people, with firefighters cutting a trench to keep it from spreading, and in 2014 a balcony fire at Dartmouth Square got into the common roof line. Units that never burned still take smoke and water from the fight, and those losses get dropped when the estimate follows only the burn pattern. With more than half of Inkster's occupied homes rented, a building owner's claim and each tenant's claim run on separate policies and both deserve a full count.
• Burst pipes and overflows. Older supply lines in exterior walls can split in a hard freeze, and an upstairs tub, toilet or sink that overflows sends water through the floor and into the ceiling below. In a house this age, water that came up a basement floor drain because the home's own line collapsed or broke is a fill-up that started inside and usually gets the full policy, while a true back-up, where the city system is overrun by heavy rain, carries a lower limit, and a short plumber's report usually settles which one it was. The drying logs, photos and moisture readings from the first week decide most water claims.

A fire in the empty house next door damaged my Inkster home. Is that my claim?

Usually, yes, under your own policy, even though the fire started on a property nobody lived in. About one in nine Inkster housing units stood vacant at the 2020 census, so this happens here. Heat can crack windows and warp siding, and smoke gets inside through vents and gaps. Keep the fire department's report and have everything documented before cleanup.

I own a rental house or apartment building in Inkster that had a fire. How is that claim different?

A rental is usually insured on a landlord or dwelling policy rather than a homeowners policy, and the coverages and limits can differ, so the policy needs to be read first. Your tenants' belongings are generally theirs to claim under their own renters policies. We document the building loss the same way we would a family home, room by room and unit by unit.

How long does it take to get someone to Inkster?

Inkster is about 15 miles from our Ferndale office, close enough to see a property soon after you call. Phone the number on this page and you will reach someone who can explain what happens next and when an adjuster can meet you at the house.