FEMA help for HOA's?

Started by SteveM9 • 6 replies • 2343 views

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SteveM9 (Massachusetts)
Posts: 3,699

Posted:

We recently suffered flooding from all the rain. The rain flooded out lower units with a foot of water. I've had a couple of contractors come over and quote for repairs. It will be very expensive. More than our HOA can handle. We would have to hit everyone with a huge special assessment at a time when people are having a hard time even paying basic bills and dues. We need some kind of help.

Because the HOA is responsible for the buildings, I'm thinking I have to apply on behalf of the HOA as an officer?

Just looking for a little direction....

Has anyone ever applied for FEMA (or other agencies) for help with disasters on behalf of a home owners association?

What kind of help did they provide?

Any other agencies can you suggest for help on this problem?

PS. I'm going to suggest the individual unit owners apply for FEMA assistance as well for their personal needs while I focus on the building problems.

SteveM9 (Massachusetts)
Posts: 3,699

Posted:

PS. HOA Insurance already denied claim.
PPS. No flood insurance.

DonnaS (Tennessee)
Posts: 5,671

Posted:

Steve,

Fema needs to be contacted to see if they have designated any area around you as "Disaster Area" Do you know if any of the area around your developement or nearby is in a Fema Declared Flood Plain? That will also help if you are. Why is there no flood insurance on the buildings? I would guess that because you have no flood insurance, you were not classified as a Flood Area, otherwise any mortgage holders would be requiring flood insurance. That darn Fema holds most all of the cards and without their help, you might be looking at a long term loan to repair the buildings. But that would be outsides only because of unit owners holding interior responsibility for repairs and replacements (I hope)

SteveM9 (Massachusetts)
Posts: 3,699

Posted:

No flood insurance because we ever had a flood problem. Property is very high. The northeast just got hit with 500 year flooding (0.2% chance of occurring in any given year)

Flood insurance would not have helped anyway. Speaking to the insurance company, they wouldn't have covered this specific problem under flood insurance. They showed me the specific exclusions. I talked to other insurance companies and they said the same thing, and also noted they do not offer insurance for this specific problem.

That said..... they would still be happy to sell me flood insurance. LOL.

MaryA1 (Arizona)
Posts: 7,043

Posted:

Steve,

Assuming (and I really don't like to do that! LOL) your assn is inc as a non profit, check with FEMA to find out if they offer assistance to corps or only private homeowners. It just may be the latter!

GlenL (Ohio)
Posts: 5,491

Posted:

Steve, I would have everyone involved file a complaint with the Massachusetts Insurance Commissioner. It costs nothing and it might nudge your insurance carrier. Here’s a dirty little secret, sometimes insurance carriers deny a rightful claim and hope the person just goes away. It costs them nothing but sometimes they save big by doing it. I would also have every homeowner affected get on the phone (followed by a letter because if you don’t write it down, then it never happened) to their local city / county government and their state senator and representative and don’t forget the news outlets. The old axiom: “The squeaky wheel gets the grease”; is an old axiom because it works.

http://www.mass.gov/?pageID=ocaagencylanding&L=4&L0=Home&L1=Government&L2=Our+Agencies+and+Divisions&L3=Division+of+Insurance&sid=Eoca

Studies show that 5 out of 4 people have problems with fractions

RobertR1 (South Carolina)
Posts: 5,164

Posted:

SteveM9,

We are talking a condo complex aren't we? It appears the lower units are effected. What about your HO6 insurance that is really the responsibility of individual owners? You have stated that the regime insurance does not cover flood, is all the damage to the building caused by flood? Has it been established what part of the damage to the buildings is Regime responsibility and what part is unit owners responsibiity. What expenses are you going to a include in your special assessment.

I have seen some of the flooding pictures on TV and this is not a pretty site and serious problem for all those effected, some more than others. If this is indeed a condo we are talking about it is going to take some wise folks to control the fall out of this, certainly the Regime would be responsible for the damage to the structure but would not be responsible for the contents or any damage to the inside of the individual units.
Is any of this close to being right?

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