Straight Talk: They Survived a Tornado—But Will Their Home Survive? [Video]

NORTHBROOK, Ill.—September 3, 2020—In the latest edition of Straight Talk, Jeff Cross talks to tornado destruction victims, Justin and Kelli Boitnott, whose home was severely damaged by an EF3-4 tornado in April and who experienced major roadblocks with their insurance company, as well as Kevin Jones, a consultant who focuses on restoration insurance issues. The Boitnott tornado story was originally discussed in two earlier Straight Talk videos: “How to Navigate Through Painful Restoration Insurance Issues” and “The Root Causes of Restoration Bottlenecks.”

Four months later, and the family is still not back in their home, meanwhile the homes of their neighbors are getting repaired as their own home continues to decay right in front of them. They called their insurance company and asked for help. What they received wasn’t what they expected.

The insurance company changed the original restorer’s assessment from Category 3 to Category 2 water, refused to pay for tear outs until an IEP report (paid for by the insurance company) showed it necessary, which was cost prohibitive due to the scope of damage (but even on a smaller scale found contamination), refused to pay for floor replacement even after agreeing to wall and ceiling replacement, refused to pay for restoration due to water damage through the damaged roof during the four months the home has sat open, and much more.

The couple consulted Jones, an IICRC expert, who laid out a 13-page report on why the project needed to be considered Category 3. The insurance company refused to acknowledge his report as well or even talk to him.

In this video, Justin and Kelli Boitnott discuss the four months since the tornado struck, and Jones weighs in with his expert opinions on the situation.