Florida’s 25% roofing rule is gone. The insurance lobby convinced Florida legislators to stop following good roofing construction practices this past summer. The newly passed legislation in Florida’s special session may allow insurance companies to patch rather than replace significant portions of your hurricane-damaged roof. Previously, if a roof was damaged more than 25%, it had to be replaced.
Continue Reading Roof Damage From Hurricane Ian? Understand Florida’s New Roofing Law

The genesis for this post is a jury trial that Merlin Law Group attorneys Mike Duffy, Jon Bukowski, and Larry Bache recently won. Jon Bukowski sent me a transcript of the closing arguments with a comment about Mike Duffy’s closing being “the best.”
Continue Reading Insurance Company Lawyer Tells Jury Insurance Companies Cannot Be Expected to Know Building Codes

The point of this blog is to implore policyholders to buy what is commonly called code upgrade coverage – formally known as law and ordinance coverage. I was thinking about this after reading two different articles discussing very different losses in very different parts of the world.
Continue Reading The Importance of Revising Building Laws and Ordinances, Which Explains Why Law and Ordinance Coverage Law is So Important To Purchase

Christopher Boggs

Ordinance and Law Coverage generates a lot of questions whenever I give a speech about the numerous building codes which impact construction. Christopher Boggs is a great insurance educator. Two chapters from his book, Wow! I Never Knew That!: 12 of the Most Misunderstood and Misused P&C Insurance Coverages, Concepts and Exclusions, provide some of the best explanations of this often misunderstood coverage. Insurance agents, property insurance adjusters, public insurance adjusters, and property insurance lawyers should have this book as a reference in their library.
Continue Reading Understanding Commercial and Residential Ordinance and Law Coverage as Explained by Christopher Boggs

I got a call this morning from a public adjuster wanting to discuss building code coverage.1 In doing some research for her, I came across an article advocating more stringent building codes: Marking 10 Years Since Katrina, Consumer Agency Calls For Stiffer Building Codes. Considering the article in connection to recent conversations I’ve had with public adjusters and general contractors, it made me wonder: do we need better building codes, or simply better enforcement of existing building codes?

Continue Reading Do We Need Better Building Codes, or Better Enforcement?

Ray Kirby of Childress Engineering spoke at the First Party Claims Conference regarding the practical and technical issues building ordinances and laws have on insurance claims. He provided me with an excellent paper, Insurance and Building Codes, which touches on some of the topics he spoke about in his presentation.

Continue Reading Building Codes and Ordinance – Practical Claims and Coverage Issues Explained

An article in the Insurance Journal, National Flood Insurance Program Set to Expire Tomorrow, caught my eye. I think the threat of expiration is political gamesmanship, as indicated in the piece: 

“John Prible, government affairs for the Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers of America, says the omnibus bill funding is currently being