Shore Adjusting Services, Inc.

02/04/2026

60-Second Adjustment

Damage from frozen and burst pipes are covered under most Homeowner policies. However, you must have maintained heat in the house prior to the freeze up. Insurance companies will request your heating records. They may also require you to provide the record kept by your Smart Thermostat. Some policies require a minimum temperature to be kept and the companies have their ways to determine how much oil was used, how much gas or electric was used, and if you kept the temperature at the minimum level.

BTW, Frozen pipes are one of the very few times plumbing repairs are covered under the policy. Stay warm, Stay covered.

02/04/2026

60-Second Adjustment:
Damage by Ice Dams is covered under most Homeowner policies. Unless the policy specifically has a dollar limit for the cost of shoveling snow and removing ice from the roof, the “necessary amount” spent to remove the snow and ice is fully reimbursable. The policy also requires you, the homeowner, to protect the property from further damage. If you just let it get worse, your insurance company may deny the additional damages.

Your insurance company may not like the dollar amount you spent to clear your roof lines. If it wanted to control these costs, it could have written in a limit into the policy. Absent a limit, the costs should be reimbursed. If your insurance company is only paying a portion of your costs for ice dam removal, ask the adjuster to show you that limit in the policy. If they say “it’s a company guideline,” your response should be: “I didn’t buy a company guideline, I bought an insurance policy.” No limit in the contract, no limit to the reimbursement.

01/30/2026

This is a result of ice dams forming on the eaves of a roof. The Soffit box is clearly full of ice and water and will be damaged as a result. Cracked and peeling paint, warped wood will show up as it melts and begins to dry. If the dam forms further up the roof line it will eventually melt into the attic which will flow down inside the walls of the house and through the ceilings.

01/22/2026

Frozen Pipes: Very possible this weekend and into next week. If you have plans to go away this weekend, a word to the wise: Keep the heat on in your house. Sure, maybe turn it down to 67 or 68 but not lower. Open cabinet doors under sinks. The one thing that ruins a weekend away or a vacation is coming home to burst pipes.
Under most Homeowner policies there is an exclusion for damage caused by frozen pipes if you have "failed" to maintain heat in your home. Some policies call out and reference a specific temperature. If you have a Smart thermostat that can either help you or hurt you by recording the set temperature. Insurance companies will ask for the records of the Smart thermostat.

Top 10 Check List:

1. Seal drafty windows and doors as best as possible during extreme low temperatures.
2. Open cabinet doors under sinks.
3. Keep water dripping especially the hot water lines. Hot water pipes freeze before cold water lines.
4. Know where your main water shut off is.
5. Test that you can shut off the main. Some shut offs are so old that they have become stuck in the open position. If you cannot shut it off, call a plumber.
6. If your pipes freeze, but not burst, shut off the main. If they do burst, the only water that can come out is what is in the pipes. Slowly heat the pipes with a hair dryer, portable heater or increasing the heat in the house. Make sure to keep portable heaters away from flammable surfaces and never leave them unattended.
7. If your pipes freezer and burst, if safe to do so, shut off the main. Call a plumber. Clean up standing water as best you can. If the pipe has been pouring water for some time, call a restoration company to help.
8. Take videos and photographs. Do not throw anything away. If something is ruined, bag it and store it outside if necessary. If you have any thoughts about claiming something, you will need to show your insurance company the damaged items.
9. Never use the term Flood when filing an insurance claim for a pipe leak or break.
10. Never dry a wet house by overheating it. Proper drying includes air movement (fans) and dehumidification. Cooking the house could cause mold to grow and you don't want that.

01/09/2026

"fire burns, rain falls, Wind Blows..." Massive tree snaps during windstorm crashing on to this roof. All rafters broken. Are you covered? Fully or just in part? New endorsements on many Homeowners policies have reduced or eliminated roof damages from windstorms. Need help with your insurance claim? Call/PM for a Free Consultation. www.shoreadjusting.com

10/31/2025

The Day After The Storm- PSA

If you have damage from yesterday's/last night's storm or from the wind coming in today, take photos, plenty of photos. Take videos too just be careful what you say while recording. Successful insurance claims hinge on documentation. The more you have, the better odds you will have a full recovery.

Look around your yard for damaged limbs that may not have fallen. Even though the winds were “only” around 40mph, a woman in Philadelphia was killed when a tree fell on her car while driving.

If you need help with your homeowners or business claim, or have a question about an existing claim, feel free to post, DM or reach out for a complimentary consultation.

Howard Shore
Public Adjuster

09/11/2025

Which rececipt should you save? See comment below.

06/13/2025

Is this covered under a standard Homewowner's policy??????Yup.

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/15g2sqxQ5D/

05/12/2025

There is a Bill numbered H 1175 which is looking to add into law that insurance companies cannot increase your Homeowner's rates should you have a claim for Fire, Theft, Storm, or Water Damage. All too often if you must use your insurance because something has happened to your home, you face an increase in premiums for several years or are non-renewed at the end of your policy term. Bill H 1175 restricts insurance companies from raising your rates if you have a claim caused by those four circumstances that was not your fault. If you leave ashes or a cigarette smoldering and those result in a fire, that is on you. However, if your house catches fire from lightning, a neighbor’s fire pit, a faulting electrical component, you should not be and cannot penalized with increased premiums.
Bill H 1175 is something we as consumers can get behind and see it put into law.

I would take it a step further and suggest that in addition to not raising your premiums, your policy cannot be non-renewed. My concern is that insurance companies will non-renew policies that have had claims, which were not a result of the policyholders’ doing, because they cannot raise rates. That would be a work around to this new legislation and unfair to all consumers.

Bill H 11175 is consumer friendly and protects all policyholders.

04/24/2025

When you shop for home insurance, it is important to know what you have purchased. Buying insurance online might not give you the answers to your questions but speaking with a local agent often will. The attached section of a policy reveals that coverage for Building Code upgrades, is excluded even if it is required to repair the damages to your home. Code related expenses could amount to thousands or tens of thousands of dollars. When you choose a $500 deductible, you believe that's all that should come out of your pocket. However, if you have a policy like this one, prepare yourselves to spend a great deal more. Every agent/broker I have worked with understands the need for Code coverage. Not all damages are covered under a homeowners's policy. However, this is as basic as it gets as a must have. See the last line in #2..."following a direct physical loss." Also known as a Covered Claim. If you need help with your homeowner's claim, reach out to me. www.shoreadjusting.com [email protected]

02/06/2025

ICE DAMS: Are they on their way? Potentially yes, the conditions are ripe for them to happen. Warm air from the inside of your house rises into your attic. The warm air heats up the underside of the roof boards and shingles and melts the snow-covered roof. The water trickles down to the edge or eaves of the roof, where it is unheated and refreezes. The more this happens, the thicker the block of ice that forms at the edge/eave of your roof. Sometimes the water trickles over the block and forms icicles. The warm air keeps meting the snow and the water refreezes until such time it gets dammed and begins to grow upward on the roof instead of forming icicles. The ice block grows and eventually gets under the shingles. It gets bigger and bigger until it gets to the warm air of the attic. At that point it starts to melt again, but this time UNDER the shingles. The melted water flows into your attic, through any insulation and on to your ceilings and into your walls.
The run of storms happening this week and into next, with temperatures running around freezing during the day and going below at night, are the right conditions for ice dams to form. It is likely too late in the season to do much about it to prevent it from happening. But if you want to try, insulating your attic is the key. Keeping the warm air inside your house, and out of your attic helps keep your attic cool enough so it won’t heat up the roof from the underside. Just be careful not to over insulate your attic.
Ice melt wiring on the eaves and in the gutters can help prevent the dams from forming. Something to think about doing next fall. Clearing the build up of snow with a snow rake will also help. Just be careful not to damage the shingles. Damage to roofs occur from the dam itself and even more so by the means used to remove them: hammers, axes, shovels. You can hire someone to use heat or steam to melt the dams, but if you don’t get rid of the snow pack, you’ve wasted your money. Clearing the eaves alone might stop the bleed momentarily but dams will reform if the conditions are right.
Damage from ice dams is covered under most policies. If you need to file a claim, let us help you through that process. Visit our website at http://www.shoreadjusting.com

01/28/2025

Yes, that was an earthquake yesterday. Fortunately it doesn't seem to have been strong enough to do much damage here in MA, although video from NH shows a stronger quake. Bottom line: Most homeowner policies exclude damage caused by earthquakes and earth movement, with many now excluding earth movement caused by "man." If the earth moves on its own, no coverage. If the earth moves because someone is blasting or digging in the area, also most likely no coverage. If you're concerned that the Big One will hit in MA, you can endorse your policy with Earthquake coverage. Check in with your agent to see how expensive it might be.

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