Burst & frozen pipe claims
NYC's classic winter loss.
A burst pipe can put water through three floors in an hour. These claims move fast, involve multiple units, and turn on details like heat maintenance and how quickly the loss was mitigated. We handle all of it — documentation, the freeze questions, and the negotiation.
The full scope of a burst & frozen pipes claim
Coverage varies by policy — this is what we look for, document, and pursue when it applies. The claim you file should be as complete as the loss you suffered.
- 01Sudden water discharge — The full scope of what the water touched — finishes, floors, assemblies — priced for actual repair.
- 02Access & tear-out — Opening walls, ceilings, and floors to reach the failed pipe and dry the structure — a covered cost that first estimates often trim.
- 03Migration damage — Water travels down and out. Damage two rooms over or two floors down is part of the same loss and belongs on the same claim.
- 04Emergency mitigation — Extraction, drying, and dehumidification to stop the damage from spreading — covered emergency work.
- 05Contents & loss of use — Everything the water ruined, inventoried and valued — plus additional living expense if you can't stay in the home.
- 06Restoring finishes — Matching floors, plaster, and trim in older NYC housing stock costs real money. The claim should reflect what restoration actually takes.
We worked the carrier side. We know where the money goes missing.
Our adjuster spent years handling property claims from inside the carrier's process. On burst & frozen pipes losses, these are the patterns we watch for.
Frozen-pipe claims turn on the policy's heat-maintenance condition. Carriers probe whether heat was on and reasonable care was taken — how the facts are documented and presented can decide the claim.
Fast inspections scope the room with the pipe and miss what happened below it. Moisture mapping finds the rest.
Plaster walls, hardwood, and pre-war details get priced like new drywall. They aren't, and the estimate shouldn't pretend otherwise.
The first days decide the claim
No countdown clocks, no pressure — just how claims actually work. Early documentation is the difference between what happened and what gets paid.
Most policies require prompt notice of a loss. Delay alone can complicate coverage — the clock starts at the damage, not when you get around to it.
Water migrates, mold can begin within 24–48 hours, smoke residue etches surfaces — and repairs made before documentation erase the proof.
Reserves and first impressions get set in the first days. What's missing from the early record rarely gets paid later.
Don't discard damaged property, don't sign off on scope, and don't accept a first offer before an independent review.
From damage to settlement, in four steps
You stay focused on your home or business. We run the claim.
Free inspection & policy review
We come to you, assess the damage, and read your policy line by line to find every coverage that applies.
We document the loss
Full photo evidence, inventory, and a detailed estimate the insurance company can't brush aside.
We fight the carrier
We file, push back on lowball offers, and negotiate directly with your insurer from start to finish.
You get paid
The settlement goes to you. We coordinate our vendors to put your property back together.
Independent facts — not our claims
Here's what government studies and regulators say about property claims and representation.
Typical claim payments were $9,379 with a public adjuster vs. $1,391 without in non-catastrophe property claims, in a state review comparing represented and unrepresented policyholders.
OPPAGA Report 10-06 (2010). Gross settlements before adjuster fees; Florida data.
After Superstorm Sandy, a federal claims review paid over $258 million in additional money to more than 15,000 flood-insurance policyholders — most in New York and New Jersey — after litigation in New York federal court revealed damage reports had been altered to reduce payments.
FEMA Sandy Claims Review, 2015–2018; U.S. Senate oversight records.
Public adjusters are licensed and regulated by the NY Department of Financial Services, and you can cancel a compensation agreement without penalty until midnight of the third business day after signing. Verify any public adjuster's license on the DFS portal — including ours.
NY Department of Financial Services.
Burst & Frozen Pipes claim questions
Does insurance cover the burst pipe itself?
My pipes froze while I was away. Am I covered?
My pipe damaged the apartment below. Am I responsible?
What should I do in the first hour?
A riser or building pipe caused it. Whose claim is it?
How fast do these claims move?
Had a loss? Let's talk today.
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