I think the answer is yes but......
Apartment burnt down 14 months ago.
It's complicated given their are 20+ owners and 18 insurance companies.
1/3rd of building was completely destroyed. The middle 1/3rd badly damaged - damage at top more serious than at bottom. 1/3rd building very little damage.
My apartment was near top in middle.
There are two insurers involved. My contents insurer and the building coverage from the HOA.
Why I don't need an insurer. All parties agree that my apartment has to be returned with a new 10 year warranty that is true of all apartments in building. So for resale purposes it will be considered a "new" apartment.
Why I might need a lawyer. It is possible that they could do sufficient work to obtain the warranty but certain items; flooring, kitchen cabinets etc might be excluded or damage to them not repaired / replaced.
Now on the one hand. I am not sure it would matter if i have the warranty as buying in France is buyer beware so anything within the warranty would be covered and anything outside would be at the new owners risk.
A lawyer will charge me to review the insurance policies, hire an expert to act on my behalf to determine what should be done and where their assessment differs from the insurance experts negotiate or see them in court.
So on the one hand I know what i will get as a minimum will be satisfactory for resale. On the other that some things that might be fixed get overlooked but that will not impact the warranty.
The cost versus "things being fixed" is probably a wash but lawyer fees would not be covered unless I can sue the HOA for them.
Positives; someone that can advocate on my behalf and will have a thorough grasp of the problem
Negatives; could turn in to more of a money out than it already is
I don't want anything other than for it to be made good. Starting down this path will force them to expend cash which i dont care about but what i dont want is it to force me to spend cash indefinitely so i am not sure that opening this can of worms is worth it.
Should i lawyer up?
Apartment burnt down 14 months ago.
It's complicated given their are 20+ owners and 18 insurance companies.
1/3rd of building was completely destroyed. The middle 1/3rd badly damaged - damage at top more serious than at bottom. 1/3rd building very little damage.
My apartment was near top in middle.
There are two insurers involved. My contents insurer and the building coverage from the HOA.
Why I don't need an insurer. All parties agree that my apartment has to be returned with a new 10 year warranty that is true of all apartments in building. So for resale purposes it will be considered a "new" apartment.
Why I might need a lawyer. It is possible that they could do sufficient work to obtain the warranty but certain items; flooring, kitchen cabinets etc might be excluded or damage to them not repaired / replaced.
Now on the one hand. I am not sure it would matter if i have the warranty as buying in France is buyer beware so anything within the warranty would be covered and anything outside would be at the new owners risk.
A lawyer will charge me to review the insurance policies, hire an expert to act on my behalf to determine what should be done and where their assessment differs from the insurance experts negotiate or see them in court.
So on the one hand I know what i will get as a minimum will be satisfactory for resale. On the other that some things that might be fixed get overlooked but that will not impact the warranty.
The cost versus "things being fixed" is probably a wash but lawyer fees would not be covered unless I can sue the HOA for them.
Positives; someone that can advocate on my behalf and will have a thorough grasp of the problem
Negatives; could turn in to more of a money out than it already is
I don't want anything other than for it to be made good. Starting down this path will force them to expend cash which i dont care about but what i dont want is it to force me to spend cash indefinitely so i am not sure that opening this can of worms is worth it.
Should i lawyer up?