Robert Malcolm - Public Adjuster

02/16/2026

📘 Florida Homeowners Insurance Information Series
📘 Deductibles:
Homeowners — don’t let your deductible surprise you after a storm! 🌪️🏠

- Aim for a 2% hurricane deductible and a flat deductible ($1,000–$2,500) for other perils. ✅
- Make sure wind and hail are NOT lumped into the hurricane deductible — you don’t want an ordinary wind/hail claim eating into a huge hurricane deductible. ⚠️💨
- Avoid hurricane deductibles much higher than 2% (I’ve seen 10% — that could be $20K–$50K out of pocket). 😳💸
- Watch for separate roof deductibles — extra roof-only deductibles are a nasty surprise. 🛠️🔍
- Remember: hurricane coverage often drives your premium, so get reasonable hurricane terms and protect yourself from common wind/hail events triggering a massive deductible. 📈🔒

Want a free policy review or help decoding your deductible language? DM me or call — I’m here to help! 📞💬

Call now to connect with business.

01/16/2026

📘 Florida Homeowners Insurance Information Series
📘 Matching
“Matching” is one of the greatest consumer protections we have in Florida — but because it increases insurers’ costs, many companies are now looking for ways to limit or avoid it.
🧰 What is Matching?
Matching means that insurance doesn’t just owe for the damaged area — they owe to make the adjoining areas match.
For example:
🌳 If a tree limb damages one section of your roof, you shouldn’t be left with a mismatched roof.
🚧 The same applies to flooring, paint, and walls inside your home.
But here’s what’s happening:
Some insurers are putting very low limits on matching — as low as 1% of dwelling coverage.
📌 So if you have $300,000 in dwelling coverage…
That’s only $3,000 for matching.
💳 Reality check:
Matching shingles on a standard roof can easily cost $20,000+.
And if you have hardwood floors or an open floor plan with continuous paint?
$3,000 isn't even close.
👉 What you want to do:
✔️ See if you can remove the matching limit
✔️ Increase it to a reasonable amount
✔️ Or consider shopping for a carrier that provides real matching protection
Protect your home from looking patched together after a loss — and protect your wallet at the same time.

Stay tuned for Screen Enclosure exclusion. If you have a pool screen you are going to want to know about this one!

01/16/2026

📘 Florida Homeowners Insurance Information Series
📘 Personal Property
When it comes to personal property (your furniture, clothes, electronics, belongings, etc.), there are two big things you need to understand:
1️⃣ What is your limit?
If you experienced a catastrophic loss and everything was damaged — how much would it take to replace it all?
That number should reflect today’s cost to replace everything you own.
2️⃣ How is it paid?
There are two ways insurance pays when belongings are damaged:
➡️ Actual Cash Value (ACV) – What your belongings are worth today, after depreciation.
➡️ Replacement Cost Value (RCV) – What it costs to buy the new equivalent item.
You want Replacement Cost on your policy.
That means the insurer pays what it takes to fully replace your belongings — not the depreciated value.
✔️ Replacement Cost +
✔️ Proper limit
= REAL financial protection when you need it.
As long as you make sure your limit is high enough, RCV gives you the money to replace everything as new.
It's also a good idea to take inventory of what you own. Of course this task could turn into a full time job, and it's constantly changing. So focus on your big ticket items, especially if you pay cash for anything big. And if you have a claim and this seems overwhelming, that's another area where a good Public Adjuster, like me, can help you out.
Stay tuned for Matching — what it is, why you should be protected, and how some insurers are getting around it…

Call now to connect with business.

01/12/2026

📘 Florida Homeowners Insurance Information Series
📘 Other Structures
“Other Structures” refers to the assets on your property that are not attached to your home.
This can include:
🏡 Fencing
🛠️ Sheds
💦 Pools
🏖️ Pool screen enclosures
Your coverage for these is not a separate number.
It’s usually a percentage of your dwelling coverage.
For example:
👉 If you have $300,000 in dwelling coverage and only 2% Other Structures, you’re only covered for $6,000.
👉 But if you increase that to 10%, you now have $30,000 in protection.
It’s important to review what structures you have on your property and estimate what repairs or replacement might cost. Then, see what it would take to increase that coverage limit — often it’s very affordable!
And this matters for all perils, including hurricanes.
Protect what’s on your property, not just what’s inside your home. ✔️
Stay tuned for the next post in the series, Personal Property — where we break down the big difference in value vs. replacement, and why it matters!

Call now to connect with business.

01/12/2026

📘 Florida Homeowners Insurance Information Series
📘 Underground Pressurized Water: AKA - Slab Leak Exclusion
If your home is built on a concrete slab (like mine), there’s a good chance your plumbing lines run through the slab itself.
So you can imagine a leak in that slab can be extremely costly just to access and the damage to your flooring can add up fast.

Sometimes there are multiple leaks, which means multiple places in your home might need to be opened up to get to the pipes.

That’s why this type of coverage is so important!
In your policy, this is generally referred to as “underground pressurized water", in the biz we call it a "Slab Leak Exclusion".

This is usually hidden deep in the policy, so you need to ask your agent about it, to see how much it is to get rid of this exclusion. And if the agent can't offer a policy with out it, then maybe it's time to shop other options.

🏡💧 Protect yourself before there’s a problem, that you may not be able to afford to fix.

Next in the Series: Other Structures — What they are, and why yours might not have the coverage you need!

Call now to connect with business.

01/05/2026

📘 Florida Homeowners Insurance Information Series :
📘 Repair Managed - What it is and why you DON'T want it!
In the previous post, I addressed the one situation in which you may want a Repair Managed option. That is because in that situation you are able to get more money to fix your damages.
Because otherwise, you probably don't want managed repair.
It may sound good that the insurance company is offering to handle the claim and the ensuing repairs, but it usually doesn't work out in the policyholders benefit, in my experience.
Here are a couple reasons why:
1) You may have to pay your deductible out of your pocket.
Hurricane deductibles can exceed $10,000. Imagine if you had to come up with $10,000 after a Hurricane to start your repairs?
2) You may have limited or no control how the money is spent.
Imagine if you get coverage for part of your old and worn out roof, and also for spots in the ceiling where water came in from the roof damage. Fixing those spots properly can be $1,000's per room. A repair managed policy would patch up the old roof and have your interior repainted and repaired.
After you pay your deductible, you get a patched up roof and newly painted ceilings. If you had control over your money, you could have put all that money into your roof in order to better protect your home from the next storm. Now you can even get a lower rate on your insurance because you have a new roof, instead of an old patched up one.

Repair Managed policies may take away your opportunity to use the claim money the best way for the long term value and protection of your home. However, most allow for upgrades at your expense, so maybe they would also consider repair scope modifications if you find yourself in this situation.

It's important to remember, not all policies are the same and not all situations are the same. That's why you need to understand your policy and your options when a claim occurs. And I am here if you need me.

Next we get back to coverages that you want included.
A tricky one no one knows about until it happens - Underground Pressurized Water exclusion. How do you fix a leak in your concrete slab? It's expensive, and you don't want to pay for it yourself!

01/05/2026

📘 Florida Homeowners Insurance Information Series :
📘 $10k Water Limit or Repair Managed?
I'll get more into Repair Managed, what it is, and why you generally DO NOT WANT IT in the next post. But this is one situation where you may want to exercise the Repair Managed option. Simply put, Repair Managed is when the insurance company assigns its preferred vendor to do the repairs according to what they agree needs to be done.

Some policies have a $10,000 water limit OR a Repair Managed option. So if your damages are under or close to $10,000 you would prefer to get the money and deal with it yourself (in general).
However, if your damages exceed $10,000 then you may want to exercise this option. Say the insurance company determines you have $20,000 in damages, they would give you the option to cash out your $10k or they could assign their preferred contractor to do the $20,000 of work. If you cash out, you get the cash after the deductible. If you exercise the Repair Managed option, you would pay your deductible amount to the preferred contractor, and they would do the $20,000 worth of work.

This is definitely better than a strictly Repair Managed policy or a $10k water limit. But optimally, you do not want either a $10k water limit, nor a Repair Managed policy.

Why don't you want a Repair Managed policy? That's next in the series! Stay tuned...

01/05/2026

📘 Florida Homeowners Insurance Information Series :
📘 Water Limits! THIS IS IMPORTANT!
Water damage from a hurricane other other covered loss is covered to the full policy amount, what we are talking about are pipe breaks causing water leaking into your home.

Here’s something most homeowners never realize:
Many policies have only a $10,000 water limit — and some even offer to exclude water completely.
🚫 You do NOT want that!
💧 You want full water coverage.
Because if a pipe breaks and water flows throughout your home,
👉 $10,000 will barely get you started.
And if you’re out of town — or just gone for the day — by the time you return the damage could be massive.
And here’s the good news:
Water damage is part of the non-hurricane portion of your policy… meaning upgrading coverage to FULL water protection usually doesn’t cost that much, especially if you can pay through your mortgage and spread the cost over 12 months.
It’s a small investment that protects you from a life-changing loss.
🏡💙 Protect your home, protect your family.
Stay tuned to learn about a variation to the $10,000 water limit, that millions of Florida homeowners may have. What it means, and how to deal with it, next!

12/29/2025

📘 Florida Homeowners Insurance Information Series - Corners you don't want to cut...
Whether you're asking your agent to save you money or shopping for a new policy, make sure you’re not getting a discount you can’t afford.
Here's the truth:
If saving a little money each month feels helpful, imagine what a major damage event would do if you're stuck with the bill.
That small monthly savings could cost you your home.
For most of us with a mortgage, our insurance is paid through our monthly mortgage payment.
That means we can spread any added coverage cost across 12 months — and when you do the math, it usually makes perfect sense to keep solid coverage that protects your home, your equity, and your family.
Don’t risk everything over a tiny monthly discount.
Protect what matters. 🏡💙
Next up, WATER LIMITS, maybe the most important "discount" that you DO NOT want!

12/29/2025

📘 Florida Homeowners Insurance Information Series – What is Covered?
📝 What is covered, and what might not be if you don’t make sure for yourself.
In general, your policy covers sudden damage — not slow, gradual damage.
👉 For example:
If a pipe corrodes slowly and causes steady dripping over time, the ensuing damage is not covered.
But if a pipe suddenly breaks and floods your home, that is covered.
Here are some examples of what policies commonly cover:
✔️ Hurricanes
✔️ Hail
✔️ Windstorms
✔️ Lightning
✔️ Fire
✔️ Sudden pipe breaks
✔️ Tree limbs or falling objects
✔️ Even cars accidentally driving into your home
Most policies include these sudden damage events unless they’re specifically excluded or limited.
And that’s where the risk comes in…
Those exclusions and limitations are how certain insurance providers can shave off a little premium — but that small savings could cost you a lot more later.
Stay tuned for the next part of the series where we dive into the actual policy and make sure you have the coverage you truly need! 📘