Public adjusters in Southfield, Michigan.
About seven in ten Southfield homes were built between 1950 and 1979, and the east end was built on combined sewers. In August 2014 basements backed up from Lake St. Clair to Southfield, and in June 2024 homes on Templar and Pierce flooded again. With 27 million square feet of office space, claims here reach well past houses.
AdjustFair works only for the policyholder, from our Ferndale office, about six miles east. 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.
Southfield claims tend to fall into three groups, and each gets underpaid in its own way.
- Basement backups on the east end. The east end runs on combined sewers, and after 2014 the city rebuilt the Ten Mile and Greenfield system into separate pipes, yet residents still reported flooded basements in 2022 and again in June 2024. Whether the water is labeled sewer backup, sump pump failure or seepage changes how the policy responds, and that label is often set on the first visit by a plumber's short report. Photograph the water line and keep the plumber's findings before anything goes to the curb.
- Burst pipes in mid-century houses. Most Southfield houses are now roughly fifty to seventy-five years old, and when a supply line fails in winter the water runs through the main floor into the basement below. The estimate tends to cover the obvious drywall and carpet and miss the trim, insulation, subfloor and contents underneath. Drying records and moisture readings from the first week usually decide how much of that gets paid.
- Office and commercial buildings. Southfield has more than 27 million square feet of office space and more than 10,000 businesses. A failed pipe or fire on an upper floor can travel through ceilings, walls, flooring and electrical on several floors below, and first estimates often cover only the suites where damage was obvious. We document each floor and price the build-back the way a commercial contractor would have to bid it.
An offer of $11,630 on a commercial water loss that settled at $113,600.
Water through a Royal Oak office. The scope on the table stopped well short of the building. We itemized it, backed the materials with lab reports, and settled in three months.
Questions we get here.
Can I file a sewer backup claim with the City of Southfield?
Yes, but the rules are strict. The city requires a written claim within 45 days after the backup was discovered, and it only applies when the city sewer caused it. Problems in your own plumbing or sewer lead are the owner's responsibility. Your insurance claim is separate and depends on your policy, so pursue both and keep the same photos and reports for each.
Do you handle commercial property claims in Southfield's office buildings?
Yes. We work for building owners and commercial tenants on physical damage to the building, its build-outs and its contents: water through several floors, fire and smoke, and structural damage. We read the commercial policy, document every affected suite and floor, and price the repair the way a commercial contractor would have to build it.
How long does it take to reach a Southfield property?
Southfield is about six miles west of our Ferndale office, so we are nearby for homes and commercial buildings alike. Call the number on this page and someone will explain what to save, what to photograph and when an adjuster can be on site to document the loss with you.
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