Earthquake losses are unusual because the coverage itself is usually separate, with its own deductible, and because the most serious damage is often structural and hidden.
Whether a crack is cosmetic or a sign of foundational movement decides the direction of the claim.
Your Claim is Our Priority.
Remove earthquake Claim Anxiety with UPA
By choosing our non-profit organization, you can trust that your claim won't be minimized, ensuring you receive the compensation you rightfully deserve.
How Earthquake Damage Presents
An earthquake damages a building through ground shaking that racks the frame, cracks foundations and slabs, separates the structure from its footing, and shifts walls, chimneys, and connections. The visible signs — cracked drywall, sticking doors, and separated finishes — can be minor symptoms of significant movement underneath, and damage to foundations, framing, and utility connections is frequently the most consequential and the hardest to see. Aftershocks can extend the damage over time.
What UPA Documents
We document an earthquake loss to its structural extent. That means assessing the foundation, framing, connections, and chimney for movement beyond the visible cracking, distinguishing quake damage from pre-existing settlement, documenting utility and system damage, and scoping the structural repair the movement actually requires — so surface symptoms are not mistaken for the whole loss.
Coverage That Shapes the Claim
Earthquake damage typically requires a separate earthquake policy or endorsement with its own, often substantial, deductible rather than coverage under the base property form, and the scope of covered damage, the treatment of foundations and exterior features, and whether the policy pays actual cash value or replacement cost vary significantly. These provisions frequently determine whether a claim clears the deductible at all.
Why Choose Us?
Earthquake claims are underpaid through the cosmetic-versus-structural argument and the deductible. Carriers commonly attribute cracking to pre-existing settlement or normal aging rather than the quake, treat symptoms as cosmetic while missing the structural movement causing them, and apply a large earthquake deductible that, combined with a narrow scope, can erase much of the claim. Distinguishing quake damage from prior conditions is the central dispute.
Contact Our Non-Profit Public Adjusting Firm
If your earthquake claim is being delayed, underpaid, or denied, the difference is almost always in the documentation.
UPA independently inspects and documents the loss and re-presents the claim to pursue the settlement your policy owes. Contact us today to schedule a consultation.