People’s Trust Suing Homeowners After Hurricane Ian

Homeowners buy insurance to protect their homes. But sometimes insurers will go to great lengths to avoid paying our claims.

This recently happened to numerous homeowners in Florida. Insurance company People’s Trust claims its customers broke policies by repairing their own homes after Hurricane Ian hit the state.

This is a situation in which the state of Florida needs to get involved, according to the one homeowner. People’s Trust sued the homeowner this past September. She is still living with the damage that Hurricane Ian caused to her Port Charlotte home.

The lawsuit centers around the homeowner trying to get her home back together. She was sued by People’s Trust for allegedly carrying out some repairs after the hurricane hit. The insurance company claims it should no longer be responsible for paying any part of her claim because of this.

Dozens of homeowners have been sued by People’s Trust for repairing their homes with their own contractors. The insurance company invoked their right to repair but would tell the homeowner that they could not get to their repairs for 8-12 months.

People’s Trust has an exclusive contract with a preferred contractor, Rapid Response Team. The company claims to be the state’s largest insurance restoration general contractor. It consists of more than 200 full-time employees that operate out of nine response centers around Florida.

Interestingly, both People’s Trust and Rapid Response Team are owned by the same person. The insurer received more than 12,000 claims after Hurricane Ian hit, so Rapid Response Team is having a hard time performing the repairs within a reasonable period of time.

People’s Trust states that it does not take pleasure in suing its policyholders. That happens in a very small percentage of the time. Generally, the company tries to get claims settled as soon as possible. When it has people that aren’t following what the contract says, the insurance company tries to get them to go along with them so they can fix the home.

People’s Trust is claiming that policyholders don’t follow what the contract calls for. They may be getting bad advice from a damage consultant, public adjuster, lawyer, or other third party.  Because of this, homeowners need to be mindful of following the guidelines in their policy. When they don’t follow the law, it makes it so they don’t get their home repaired the way it should be.

Seek Legal Help

Homeowners insurance is supposed to help homeowners when their dwelling sustains damage. Being sued by an insurance company is not something that should be happening, especially when a person is trying to get their home back together.

Is your homeowners insurance company arguing with you about coverage or processes? If so, contact a Fort Lauderdale homeowners insurance lawyer from Edward J. Jennings, P.A. We can help, so don’t give up without a fight. Schedule a consultation with our office by filling out the online form or calling 954-764-4330.

Source:

winknews.com/2023/11/25/homeowners-insurance-company-takes-southwest-floridians-to-court/