Actually, from what I've seen, insurance companies often categorize something like warped flooring due to bad advice as a workmanship issue rather than accidental damage. Had a friend who went through a similar thing—her builder installed insulation incorrectly, causing moisture buildup and mold. The insurance flat-out refused to cover it, saying it was faulty workmanship, not an unforeseen accident. Seems insurers draw the line pretty clearly between genuine accidents and contractor errors... unfortunately for homeowners.
That's interesting because I've always wondered about the grey area between accidental damage and faulty workmanship. Like, say a builder installs something incorrectly, but the homeowner doesn't realize it until months later when actual damage occurs—who's really responsible then? Is it always on the homeowner to chase the builder, or could there be situations where insurance might step in if the builder is unreachable or out of business?
A neighbor of mine had a deck collapse after a year because the supports weren't properly anchored. The builder had already closed shop and moved away, and insurance said no way—it was faulty workmanship. But then, what exactly counts as an accident if not something unexpected like that? Seems like there's a lot of room for interpretation here...
You're definitely onto something here—this grey area is exactly why construction disputes get so messy. Insurance companies love to label things as "faulty workmanship" because it conveniently shifts responsibility away from them. But honestly, shouldn't insurance cover unexpected events like your neighbor's deck collapse? I mean, homeowners can't realistically inspect every bolt and beam themselves. Seems unfair they're left holding the bag when builders vanish... Maybe clearer definitions or better consumer protections are needed to close these loopholes.
- You've nailed it with the grey area comment—insurance companies definitely exploit vague definitions to dodge payouts.
- Homeowners shouldn't be expected to double-check every single detail; that's unrealistic and unfair.
- Maybe clearer policy language or mandatory builder warranties could help address this gap?
- Had a similar issue myself once... builder disappeared, insurer shrugged it off as "poor workmanship," and I ended up footing the bill. Totally frustrating.
You've touched on something important here. Clearer policy language would definitely help, but honestly, insurers will always find loopholes if they really want to. I've seen it happen plenty of times in my line of work—projects stalled because the builder's insurance conveniently didn't cover certain mishaps. Mandatory builder warranties could be a solid step forward, though. At least then homeowners wouldn't be left completely stranded.
Had a client once whose builder vanished mid-project (sounds familiar, right?), and the insurer labeled it as "contractual dispute," washing their hands of the whole thing. Ended up costing everyone involved way more time and money than necessary. Maybe some kind of standardized oversight or third-party inspections could help bridge that gap? Not sure there's a perfect solution, but anything that reduces ambiguity would be a welcome improvement...
