It says it can be an architect or an engineer, but I have been calling and most won¹t do it, including you. Why is that, and what should I do?
A. Several years ago, standing at the desk of your current legislator in Albany, I was told that a deal had been struck with insurance companies to avoid their pulling out from insuring in high-wind zones -- like coastal Long Island. The deal was that licensed professional architects and engineers would be given the compensated task of filling out forms about the structural character of homes. These forms are for insurance companies¹ files. The legislator, whom I respect for his frankness, then explained that with this deal, insurance companies would not withdraw from insuring coastal areas and that professionals, who hopefully have a boatload of insurance -- which most do not -- would then just get sued by your insurance company to cover your loss.
Sounds simple enough. So architects and engineers, who had nothing to do with the construction, by some contorted reasoning become responsible. Now, look at Louisiana. Notice that many residents have not even begun to move back in after more than a year. Their insurance settlements are still, in many cases, ongoing. Yes, it¹s true that many had no insurance, but for those who did, the clock is still ticking. Underlying the answer to your question, and why Hurricane Katrina¹s victims are still waiting, is the way insurance works: You pay the insurance company, just like plopping down your paycheck at the roulette wheel. Insurance is a special game of chance. You¹re betting that there will be a disaster, while your insurance company is betting there won¹t, and holding the money. When your number comes up, the company pays, but it takes its time, investigating your loss, getting competitive prices to restore damage, and then just sitting for a while. I expect angry letters for saying that, but basically it¹s true.
I¹ve worked with many victims of property loss, and I¹ve seen many things that I can¹t even write about. Because of this special kind of liability that a professional takes on, many do not like the odds, and are therefore not interested in the consequences of having accepted the responsibility for your home. And that¹s what it comes down to: responsibility. I think it would be much more fair if the insurance companies sent in-house, company-insured architects and engineers to fill out the forms. Then it really would be just for information purposes instead of ammunition for a resource to tap when a disaster strikes. I can¹t imagine standing outside the hulking mess of what used to be my home, cold, wet, hungry, tired and homeless, while a process server wades through the debris with a satisfied grin on his face to hand me a summons that I am being sued for 100 other homes that also are lying in ruins. There are a few professionals out there (who should advertise their service in this paper) who will fill out your form. Then we wouldn¹t have to worry about insurance companies robbing Peter to pay Paul. Keep trying, and good luck!
Readers are encouraged to send
questions to: HERALD Homes,
379 Central Avenue, P.O. Box 220, Lawrence, N.Y. 11559-0220
Attn: Monte Leeper, architect.
