2024-12-18

Today raised serious concerns about the handling of my claim. An individual presented as an Industrial Hygienist visited my home 16 days after the loss occurred—well after remediation had already begun and areas had been cleaned. Sampling cleaned surfaces at that stage provides little value, which left me questioning the purpose of the inspection.

Following the visit, I received an email from the adjuster, Jake, stating that the hygienist considered the loss to be a Category 1 pending further testing, and that “your home is inhabitable at this point.” This directly contradicted the assessment from the Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH) I hired, who classified the loss as Category 3 and deemed the home uninhabitable during remediation. This was my first red flag.

After further research, I discovered that the individual sent by Sedgwick was not, in fact, a licensed Industrial Hygienist. Florida statutes make clear that representing oneself as such without the appropriate credentials constitutes a deceptive and unfair trade practice. In contrast, my CIH holds the proper licensure and provided a detailed report.

To be clear, I cannot say whether Sedgwick or the adjuster knowingly misrepresented this person’s credentials, or whether they themselves were misled. However, as licensed professionals operating in this state, they had a duty to verify the qualifications of the individuals they send to assess claims. Instead, they introduced findings from someone without the proper credentials to contradict a licensed expert. Whether intentional or accidental, this is unacceptable.

I have filed a complaint with the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation and will also be contacting the Department of Financial Services. Families should not be placed at risk by flawed inspections or misrepresentation of expertise. The adjuster’s willingness to declare my home habitable based on a phone conversation with an unlicensed individual—while disregarding the findings of a certified professional—is deeply concerning.

My family’s safety should not be compromised in an effort to minimize claim costs. I expected more accountability from companies of this size.