Adjusting Services

Michaelson & Messinger Insurance Specialists, LLC prepares an itemized claim detail for the damages to your building and personal property, negotiates on your behalf with the adjuster representing the insurance company to assure you receive a fair and equitable settlement, prepares and submits all necessary paperwork, and obtains the proper building permits, among other services. Please take a look at our About Us page for information on our services.

Yes. Michaelson & Messinger Insurance Specialists, LLC is licensed, bonded, and insured. We are regulated by the State of Illinois, Department of Insurance and are a member of the Chicago and Northern Illinois Better Business Bureau.

Absolutely. Michaelson & Messinger Insurance Specialists, LLC guarantees all of its work with documents signed by Michaelson & Messinger, Inc. and you. See our Guarantees page for full information.

Our management team has over 60 years experience in the preparation, adjustment and negotiation of insurance claims in the State of Illinois.

A public adjuster is a licensed professional who represents you, the policyholder, in an insurance claim. The insurance company has its own adjuster who works for the company. A public adjuster works only for you. Michaelson & Messinger has represented Illinois property owners since 2006, and every adjuster on our staff is licensed by the State of Illinois.

We work on a percentage of the settlement, agreed in writing before we start. There is no upfront fee. If there is no recovery, there is no fee. On a small, simple claim we may tell you a public adjuster is not needed, and we will say so at the free first visit.

No. Your premium is set by the loss itself, not by who represents you. Hiring a public adjuster is your right under Illinois law and the carrier cannot penalize you for it.

Yes. Many clients call us after receiving a first offer that does not cover the contractor bids. We can step in at any stage, review what has been paid, and reopen the parts of the claim that were underpaid or missed. The earlier you call, the more we can do.

Fire and smoke, water and sewer backup, wind and hail, tornado, theft and vandalism, vehicle impact to a building, contents, business interruption, and loss of rent. Residential and commercial, in Chicago and the western and southwest suburbs.

No. Once you sign with us, we handle every call, letter, form, and meeting with the carrier. You receive updates from us. You do not argue with anyone.

A straightforward water or storm claim can settle in four to eight weeks. A total loss fire claim with contents, additional living expense, and a municipal demolition hold usually takes three to six months to settle, with the rebuild following. We give you a timeline at the first meeting and update it as the claim moves.

Michaelson & Messinger Insurance Specialists, LLC helps place you in temporary housing while your home is being repaired. We use a professional relocation company which specializes in disaster relocation and is recognized by insurance companies. There is no cost to you for this service.

Make sure everyone is safe, then call us at 630.654.2600 before you give a recorded statement or sign with anyone. Do not throw anything away. Keep every receipt for hotels, meals, and clothing. Photograph everything. We will secure the building and begin documenting the same day.

Not before you talk to us. What you say about the cause, the contents, and how the building was used can limit the claim. Call 630.654.2600 first. We will prepare you or handle the call for you.

Yes, if it is documented. Smoke travels through ductwork and settles in every room, closet, and drawer. We test contents and surfaces and document the residue so the carrier pays to clean or replace, not just to paint.

Illinois law lets the municipality claim part of your fire proceeds to cover the cost of tearing the building down if it is not repaired. The carrier holds that money until the town releases it. We handle the release paperwork so the rebuild is funded.

Only if your policy includes ordinance and law coverage and the claim is presented that way. Older homes need new electrical, plumbing, and framing to pass inspection. We identify the coverage and document every code item.

Yes. The carrier cannot require you to use its preferred vendor. Most of our clients use our restoration crews because the estimate that won the claim is the estimate we build to, but the choice is yours.

Usually only if you bought a separate sewer and drain backup endorsement, and the limit is often five to ten thousand dollars. We read your policy before the claim is filed so you know what is available and how to present the loss.

Many Illinois policies cap mold at a small limit or exclude it unless it results from a covered water loss. Fast drying prevents most of it. We document the water source and start drying the same day so mold does not become a separate fight.

Carriers use the long term seepage exclusion to deny slow leaks. We document when the leak started, why it could not have been seen, and what damage came from the sudden event. Many of these denials are reversed with proper evidence.

Stop the water and remove standing water, but do not demolish before it is documented. Photograph everything and call us. We map the wet area with moisture readings so the scope cannot be cut to what is visible.

Usually yes, if you kept heat on or shut off and drained the water. Policies deny if the house was vacant without those steps. We establish what was done and present the claim accordingly.

A burst pipe is a sudden discharge covered under the main policy. A sump failure is treated as sewer and drain backup and paid only under that endorsement. The difference can be the whole claim. We document the source correctly.

Your standard policy deductible, often one to two thousand dollars, or a percentage on newer policies. It is subtracted once from the total settlement, not from each part of the claim.

Look for granule loss in the gutters, dents in metal vents and gutters, and dark spots on shingles where the mat is exposed. Most hail damage is not visible from the ground. We inspect the roof for free.

Many newer Illinois policies set a separate deductible for wind and hail, often one or two percent of the dwelling limit. On a four hundred thousand dollar house that is four to eight thousand dollars. We check it before the claim is filed.

They can offer it, but if the shingles cannot be matched, many policies include matching coverage that requires the full slope or the full roof to be replaced. We document the mismatch and present that claim.

Yes, the damage to the house, the garage, and the fence, plus removal of the tree from the structure. Removal of a tree that fell in the yard without hitting anything is usually limited or excluded.

Your own policy pays your damage. The neighbor is only responsible if the tree was known to be dead or dangerous. We file with your carrier so you are not waiting on a neighbor’s insurer.

Most policies require prompt notice and set a deadline of one to two years for suit. Damage found months later is harder to prove. Call us within days of the storm.

No. The carrier may hire an engineer who often finds age and wear. We attend that inspection, document the storm evidence, and bring our own findings. Engineer reports are challenged and overturned regularly.

Yes. Every carrier requires one. File it the same day, list what you know was taken, and add items to the report as you find them missing. We help you complete the inventory.

Photographs on your phone, bank and credit card statements, warranty registrations, manuals, gift records, and sworn statements from people who saw the items. We build the inventory from what you have.

Most policies cap theft of jewelry at one to two thousand dollars, cash at a few hundred, and set limits on firearms, silverware, and business property. Scheduled items are covered separately. We identify every sublimit before filing.

Many policies exclude vandalism after the building has been vacant thirty or sixty days. We establish the vacancy timeline and present the claim under the coverage that still applies.

It depends on the vacancy clause and whether the loss is treated as theft or vandalism. We read the policy and document the timeline. These claims are frequently denied without representation and frequently paid with it.

Yes. Physical damage from the break in is covered under the dwelling, separate from the stolen property. We document doors, windows, frames, locks, and any interior damage.

Yes, under the building coverage, and business personal property covers damaged inventory and equipment. Business interruption may apply if you had to close. We handle all three parts.

Replacement cost is what it costs to replace an item new today. Actual cash value is replacement cost minus depreciation for age and wear. Most policies pay actual cash value first and release the difference, called the holdback, when you replace the item. We track the holdback so the second payment is actually collected.

Yes. We build the inventory from photographs, receipts, bank statements, and your own room by room recollection, and we know how to present it so the carrier accepts it.

By age and expected life. A five year old sofa with a fifteen year life loses about a third of its value. The carrier pays the depreciated amount first and the rest when you replace it. We track both payments.

Yes, on most replacement cost policies. You receive actual cash value first and the holdback when you show the replacement receipt, usually within one to two years. We track the deadline so nothing is forfeited.

A family of four typically has thirty to sixty thousand dollars in clothing and household goods. Most carriers pay a fraction of that without a detailed list. The list is the claim.

Sometimes. Hard surfaces clean well. Upholstery, mattresses, and anything that absorbs odor usually cannot be saved. We test items and document what fails so the carrier pays to replace rather than clean.

We inventory furniture, fixtures, computers, machinery, stock, and tenant improvements from your records and photographs, and we separate what is yours from what belongs to the landlord.

Yes. For landlords we add loss of rent to the building and contents claim. For businesses we handle the building, business personal property, equipment, inventory, and business interruption, and we work with the carrier’s forensic accountant on the income claim.

From your tax returns, profit and loss statements, sales records, and payroll for the period before the loss, projected forward with seasonality. We prepare the calculation and present it to the carrier’s forensic accountant.

The time it should reasonably take to repair the property and reopen. Business interruption pays through that period. Carriers estimate it short. We tie it to the actual repair schedule.

Continuing expenses such as payroll, rent, loan payments, and utilities are covered so the business can hold its staff and its lease while closed. We document each one.

It pays the cost of keeping the business running at a temporary location, renting equipment, or paying overtime to reduce the shutdown. It is separate from lost income and often unused.

It covers the period of restoration. If the carrier’s repair estimate was too short, the rent claim is short too. We document the real repair timeline so the rent is paid for the full period.

Yes. Spoiled inventory, hood and fire suppression rebuilds, health department reopening inspections, and seasonal revenue swings all affect the claim. We have handled restaurant fires across Chicago.

The amount the municipality determines it would cost to demolish the building and clear the lot, based on its own inspection. It can be a large share of a total loss settlement.

By showing the municipality that the building will be repaired: the contract, the permit application, and the schedule. We prepare and file those documents and deliver the release letter to the carrier.

The building is demolished, the municipality is paid from the held funds, and the balance is released to you. We coordinate the demolition and the paperwork.

Yes. Chicago often opens a demolition court case after a serious fire. We appear in the process, provide the repair evidence, and work with the Department of Buildings to close the case and release the funds.

Two to eight weeks once the documents are filed, depending on the municipality. Without someone managing it, the funds can sit for months. We push it through.

Yes. It is part of every total loss fire claim we adjust. It can also be hired on its own if your claim is settled and the funds are stuck.