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help please: who should file this insurance claim?

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go22

Member
hello,
i reside in the state of new york and know nothing about cooperative apartments, and property damages resulting from a next door shareholder's contractors renovations, and therefore would greatly appreciate legal advisement.

a new co-op shareholder has recently purchased the co-op directly next door to my elderly disabled brother-in-law and began extensive renovations. their legal renovations termination date to completely finish and cease all renovations work was over 1 1/2 months ago, but to-date they have continued doing unapproved, unauthorized, illegal renovations.

recently the new co-op shareholder's contractor has damaged my disabled brother-in law's living room room wall. the damage is very visible, and the damaged wall is cracked from floor to ceiling. the co-op property manager, and co-op building superintendent took digital pictures of the extensive wall damage, since my brother-in-law owns shares in the co-op, but not the actual cooperative apartment.

the wall damage digital pictures were submitted to the new shareholder by the co-op's property manager. my brother-in-law wants the new co-op shareholder to pay for the repair and repainting. the new shareholder asked for a written estimate from my brother -in- law relative to repairing the damaged structure and repainting the apartment, since all rooms have the same paint color, and can all be seen from the structural wall damaged area. (this is a very large desirable water front cooperative efficiency unit).

my brother-in- law had his painter access the situation and the painter gave his written estimate for tape repair, plastering, priming, and painting. the final cost estimate was $1,500.00. according to many shareholders in the cooperative my brother-in-law spoke to, they informed him that the $1,500.00 estimate was a bargain and very reasonable, especially since his co-op apt., is one of the most desirable larger efficiency beach front units.

the new shareholder received the written estimate and decided not to honor the written estimate, and instead said an insurance claim should be filed. my future brother- in- law was given the contractors insurance documentation as a matter of record when legal renovations began, but to-date illegal renovations continue and the co-op's property manager is aware of this entire situation..

Question: i would like to know who is legally responsible to file the insurance claim now? the contractor who did the damage to my brother-in-law's wall, or my brother-in -law? my brother-in-law is afraid to file any claim on his co-op insurance, since he states his premiums will escalate, and insurance companies are looking for any reason to drop a policyholder, (especially since he resides in water front property which is a high risk zone).

i would greatly appreciate a knowledgeable advisement as to who should file the insurance claim......the new shareholder contractor's insurance company, or my brother in law, and we all thank you in advance.
 


moburkes

Senior Member
Your brother should file the insurance claim, then let the insurance company subrogate against the at fault party. They will also attempt to collect his deductible back for him.
 

go22

Member
thanks o much moburkes, also please advise and thanks again

moburkes
Senior Member

Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: South Cackalacky
Posts: 14,784
Your brother should file the insurance claim, then let the insurance company subrogate against the at fault party. They will also attempt to collect his deductible back for him.

thanks so much moburkes for your reply, and i will inform my disabled brother-in-law that he should file the insurance claim.

moburkes is there anyone i can contact for my disabled brother- in- law as far as the continued to date unapproved, unauthorized, illegal renovations. "those legal renovations should have ended in early october of 2008", but to-date the co-op property manager is not addressing this at all, and the continued illegal renovations are causing medical distress to my disabled brother-in-law, as well as additional fear of the possibility of even more new property damage.

i would greatly appreciate some guidance about that as well, and i thank you again in advance, and look forward to reading your advisement regarding the above.
 

moburkes

Senior Member
Why do you keep referring to him as disabled? I don't get that.

In any case, contact the housing department for your county.
 

go22

Member
thanks moburke and here is the answer to your question.

moburkes moburkes is offline
Senior Member

Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: South Cackalacky
Posts: 14,790
Why do you keep referring to him as disabled? I don't get that**************

moburkes i am referring to the fact that his is multipally disabled, and by the continued illegal renovations his hypertension shoots up and his cardiac arthythmia pains begin forcing him to take more life sustaining prescription medications than he should be taking. of course his listening and feeling the horrific intense vibrations of these continued unapproved illegal renovations cause him major stress issues, which in turns promotes a host of other medical occurences, all deriving from the continued on going illegal renovations. (i hope this explains that these illegal renovations place him in continued medical endangerment as well).


In any case, contact the housing department for your county.

thank you moburkes, and i will tell him to do just that.

moburkes if you care to comment on my above " disabled explanation", i would appreciate that, because i feel by the co-ops property management company not addressing these unauthorized, illegal continued renovations, but knowing they are continuing, this co-op management company which oversees all the co-op compliance bylaws is violating a multitude of legal law and co-op compliance by laws as well.

by the co-op management company's continued silence they are also directly placing my disabled brother-in-law in a very grave health endangerment's situation, as are the new shareholders who are performing these illegal unauthorized continued renovations.

i await your comments and thank you in advance moburkes.
Reply With Quote
 

moburkes

Senior Member
If the housing department gives them a permit, the renoveations will continue - but legally. How will the fact that they are illegal removeations, now, but could be legal renovations soon, make any difference.
 

go22

Member
i hope this explanation helps moburkes, and many thanks again!

hello again moburkes,

answer to your question moburkes is that they were granted the legal right to do renovations but only on the premise that they must be completed within 3 months, and ending all renovations work on october 1st, 2008. this legal agreement the new shareholder did sign in front of the co-op board, property management agent, and the attorney's of the property management company during the co-op board of directors renovations approval meeting.

since then and to-date, the new shareholder, his contractor and subs keep renovating. they also renovate weekends and holidays and after 5 p.m. which is not permitted (and there are no exceptions to those co-op rulings of which they are all aware of, as that is also stated in the legal renovations compliance agreement the new shareholder also legally signed).

now the board and property management company have classified the continued renovations without permission, or authorization, as illegal renovations, and yet nothing is being done to put a stop to them. this is what they told my disabled brother-in-law when they all keep referring to the renovations as illegal renovations, but when he asks them what steps they will now take to make these illegal renovations permanently stop, both the co-op bpard members and the property manager reply they are discussing the issue amongst themselves, but request my disabled brother-in-law to furnish them with daily illegal renovations updates.. so far they have been discussing the issue amongst themselves for close to 2 months now, and to-date no action whatsoever has been taken by either of them.

honestly moburkes i cannot fathom why both the co-op board and property management company did not send them a letter after their legal time to renovate had come to its october 1st, 2008 renovations end date had expired, but they continued renovations to-date, and now with no co-op board or property management company authorization or approval for a continuance.

unfortunately i am not a co-op expert moburkes, but this seems as though the co-op board & property management company are not enforcing the legal renovations co-op house rules, regulations, and bylaws , regarding this out of compliance continued illegal renovations issue.

thanks for all of your replies moburkes, as well as your next reply. both i, and my disabled brother-in-law, thank you wholeheartedly, as your replies will educate us regarding this dilemma and i just pray it is resolved
before my disabled brother-in-law suffers more stress, hypertension and arthyhmia.
 
Last edited:

moburkes

Senior Member
Maybe they couldn't complete them in the time allowed. Most renovations go on past the estimated completion date.
 

go22

Member
thank you moburkes

thanks so much for that clarification moburkes, we all greatly appreciate it and we wish you and everyone happy upcoming holidays.
 

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