Local claim risks
- Condo water leaks
- Derecho wind and trees
- Ice dams
- Hail
- Snow load
Storms on record
- June 2012 derecho
- February 2010 blizzards
- January 2016 blizzard
Housing mix
High-rise and mid-rise condos near the Metro and Rockville Town Square, townhouse communities such as King Farm and Fallsgrove, and mid-century single-family homes in neighborhoods like Twinbrook.
Neighborhoods & nearby: Twinbrook, King Farm, Fallsgrove, Rockville Town Square, North Bethesda, Potomac, Gaithersburg, Aspen Hill
Shared buildings, shared policies
Rockville is the county seat of Montgomery County, and a large share of the housing is condos and townhouses governed by an association. That changes how claims work. An insurance appraiser in Rockville, MD often has to sort out which parts of a loss belong under the association’s master policy and which fall to the unit owner’s HO-6 policy. Getting that split wrong can leave whole categories of damage unpaid.
Condo and townhouse estimate disputes
Water is the most common source of trouble in multi-unit buildings. A leak from an upper unit or a failed riser can damage several homes at once. Frequent disagreements include:
- Unit improvements and finishes left off because the master policy carrier treats them as the owner’s responsibility
- Drying and remediation priced for one unit when water spread to several
- Townhouse roof repairs that stop at the unit boundary instead of tying into neighboring roofs
- Loss assessment claims after an association passes a deductible or repair cost on to owners
Our commercial and HOA appraisal service covers association-level losses, and we also represent individual unit owners.
Single-family homes and storms
Older single-family neighborhoods like Twinbrook and surrounding areas such as Aspen Hill, North Bethesda and Potomac have mature trees and roofs that range widely in age. The June 29, 2012 derecho brought down trees and power lines across Montgomery County, causing roof punctures, broken windows and long outages. The February 2010 blizzards and the January 2016 blizzard brought heavy snow, ice dams and stressed gutters. Claims from those events often combine roof repair, interior water damage and food spoilage, and carriers sometimes pay one piece but not the others.
Communities we serve around Rockville
We regularly work in Twinbrook, King Farm, Fallsgrove and around Rockville Town Square, plus North Bethesda, Potomac, Gaithersburg and Aspen Hill. Silver Spring’s high-rise condos raise the same master-policy questions, and we serve owners there as well.
Townhouse communities such as King Farm and Fallsgrove add another layer. Some associations insure only common elements, while others cover roofs and exteriors of each home, and the governing documents decide which. Before you file, check who is responsible for the roof, siding and windows on your unit, because that controls which carrier handles the claim and who can demand appraisal.
High-rise buildings also have central plumbing, sprinkler lines and mechanical rooms, and a single failure can send water through many floors before it is shut off.
Practical guidance for Rockville owners
Ask your association for a copy of the master policy declarations and the governing documents that define what the association insures. Keep a record of every unit affected by a leak. If the association’s carrier and your own carrier both deny the same item, put both positions in writing.
Maryland Insurance Appraiser can review the estimates from both sides of the master-policy split and tell you whether appraisal is worth pursuing. Where the dispute is about which policy covers what, a Maryland attorney is the right person to ask.
Services for Rockville property owners
Every service is available in Rockville and the rest of Montgomery County, including:
- Appraisal Demand Representation
- Home Insurance Appraisal
- Commercial & HOA Appraisal
- Roof & Hail Damage Appraisal
- Windstorm & Tornado Appraisal
- Hurricane & Nor’easter Appraisal
- Water Damage Appraisal
- Fire & Smoke Damage Appraisal
Rockville claim questions
Who pays when water from the unit above damages my Rockville condo?
It depends on your association’s documents and the master policy. Often the master policy covers the building structure while your HO-6 policy covers your finishes, belongings and improvements. The upstairs owner’s insurer may also be involved if negligence caused the leak.
Can an individual condo owner use the appraisal clause?
Yes, if your own HO-6 policy has an appraisal clause and you disagree with the amount your carrier offered. Disputes under the association’s master policy are generally handled by the association as the named insured.