Sinkhole Attorneys
STAMATAKIS + THALJI‘s sinkhole attorneys represents Florida consumers whose homes have been damaged by sinkholes. Fortunately, Florida law requires homeowners insurance to cover damages to your home caused by a sinkhole. But, that does not mean that your homeowners insurance company will honor the agreement and pay what you are owed. Many clients complain that their homeowner’s insurance company is not acting promptly or delaying the claim at every turn. Moreover, homeowners insurance companies often deny claims and say that sinkholes are not really sinkholes at all, but tit is just the “ground settling.” Whatever that means. Or they homeowners insurance just goes to their old fallback, not paying the proper amount for the repairs. If your home or business is showing signs of damage from a sinkhole, contact our sinkhole lawyers at our Tampa law firm for a fast and confidential sinkhole case evaluation.
What are the signs of sinkhole damage?
A cracked or leaking pool
A large cracking in walls around doors and window frames
Doors or windows that do not work properly anymore
An unusually large or rapidly developing depression in yard or driveway
A fence post or posts that start sagging or slanting from trees on the property
A separation of walls from floors or ceilings
A tilting or sinking of a section of floor
Tree roots that are now exposed that were not before
A poor compaction of soil around utility poles
Does STAMATAKIS + THALJI’s sinkhole attorneys handle sinkhole damage claims where I live? We represent clients in the following west and central Florida counties: Citrus, Hernando, Sumter, Lake, Orange, Osceola, Polk, Pasco, Hillsborough, Pinellas, Manatee, Desoto, Hardee, Highlands, Sarasota and Charlotte.
How is my Florida sinkhole lawyer paid? STAMATAKIS + THALJI’s sinkhole attorneys handle all sinkhole damage cases on what is called a “contingency fee” basis. This means that no fees or costs are charged unless we collect money damages for you. All of the consultations with our office are absolutely free. When you receive compensation, meaning our sinkhole lawyers have successfully concluded your case, either by settlement or litigation, our fees are then worked as a percentage of the gross settlement. This percentage is agreed upon before we begin work, in writing and signed by you, and is comprised 33% prior to filing suit and 40% after the lawsuit is filed, up through trial.
The sinkhole attorney’ s fee is separate from the “costs” that the firm advances on behalf of the client. “Costs” include expenses for obtaining records, filing fees at the courthouse, expert witness testimony, costs of taking depositions and so on. We advance all costs related to your case. Only on obtaining a recovery for a client are our sinkhole lawyers reimbursed the costs that were advanced by our Florida law firm.
What are some of the typical issues involved in a sinkhole damage claim? First, the insurance company will typically send someone to your home, usually an environmental engineer, to determine the cause of the damage to your home. These people are paid by the insurance company and know that damage due to “natural ground settling” is not covered by homeowners insurance. If, by chance, they agree that your damage was caused by a sinkhole, your insurance company will do everything they can to have you sign a release and have the “repairs” begin. The trouble is that they try to lay all the liability of what could go wrong back to you. The insurance company may also try to make the repairs in the cheapest, least effective way, even though they are required to do otherwise, pursuant to the terms of your homeowner’s policy.
Contact STAMATAKIS + THALJI for your Free Consultation with our sinkhole attorneys in Tampa