Help Jill & Savannah Save Home from Mold Damage!
Donation protected
My sister Jill is a hardworking single mom that has done everything right and played by the rules her whole life. About 10 years ago, I helped my sister work for and achieve owning her own home in Dunedin, Florida. She put in the sweat equity by building her own Habitat for Humanity house along with helping others do the same.
In August of 2020 Jill’s policy with Heritage Insurance was up and State Farm called her to discuss switching to them for homeowner’s insurance. Jill already had her car and life insurance policies through State Farm, so it seemed to make sense to have them handle her homeowner’s insurance as well. The State Farm agent pointed out numerous ways their plan was better than her existing plan, and despite it being more expensive, Jill agreed to switch to State Farm. The agent failed to disclose anything that she would need extra coverage for, so Jill believed that everything Heritage had covered, State Farm would as well. State Farm did a home inspection which included inspecting the garage and the faulty water heater.
On December 9th, I was visiting my sister from Ohio, and she asked me to open her garage which she had been using only for storage. Jill had been informed by her water company that she had been using more water than usual, so she had a plumber coming to look for leaks. When I went into her garage, I heard a hissing noise and noticed a stream of water spraying from the side of the water heater down toward the wall, out of direct sight. The small hole had been slowly leaking water for over a month resulting in extensive mold and loss of everything she had stored in the garage including Christmas items, family keepsakes, furniture and a bunch of goods she was saving to donate to Goodwill.
The following day Jill filed a claim with State Farm and was told she would receive a call back. After 2 days of not hearing from them, Jill called again and was told her information was given to a field agent who she then played phone tag with for a couple days. On December 14th a different agent called her and came out to do an inspection the following day. Jill received a call from that agent on the 18th and was told her claim was denied.
In addition to State Farm, Jill also made a claim with American Home Shield, her home warranty company, in order to have a plumber come out and fix the leak in her water heater. On December 10th he came out and said she would have to pay out of pocket because the damage wasn’t normal wear and tear but was from a defective part (a hole blew out the side of the expansion tank on top of the water heater.) On December 17th Servpro came out to assess the damage and give Jill an estimate. They estimated it will cost at least $6,374.62 to remove/replace the mold damage and $3,846.77 to remove/replace the water damage, totaling $10,221.39.
That’s over $10,000 that my sister doesn’t have, especially after this economically devastating year. Unfortunately, my family and I are not financially well off enough to help her with this expense. I realize that our fundraising goal is a lot of money but I’m hoping that setting up this page and sharing Jill’s story will help us put a dent in that amount. Jill, Savannah, the rest of our family and I will be incredibly grateful for any and every donation, no matter the amount! All donations will go directly to Jill and Savannah and will be used to pay for the mold and water damage removal.
My sister has never asked for anything and has worked hard for everything her entire life, which is why I’m asking for her.
If you are unable to donate, but still want to help Jill and Savannah, please share this link to your Facebook or other social media platforms!
In August of 2020 Jill’s policy with Heritage Insurance was up and State Farm called her to discuss switching to them for homeowner’s insurance. Jill already had her car and life insurance policies through State Farm, so it seemed to make sense to have them handle her homeowner’s insurance as well. The State Farm agent pointed out numerous ways their plan was better than her existing plan, and despite it being more expensive, Jill agreed to switch to State Farm. The agent failed to disclose anything that she would need extra coverage for, so Jill believed that everything Heritage had covered, State Farm would as well. State Farm did a home inspection which included inspecting the garage and the faulty water heater.
On December 9th, I was visiting my sister from Ohio, and she asked me to open her garage which she had been using only for storage. Jill had been informed by her water company that she had been using more water than usual, so she had a plumber coming to look for leaks. When I went into her garage, I heard a hissing noise and noticed a stream of water spraying from the side of the water heater down toward the wall, out of direct sight. The small hole had been slowly leaking water for over a month resulting in extensive mold and loss of everything she had stored in the garage including Christmas items, family keepsakes, furniture and a bunch of goods she was saving to donate to Goodwill.
The following day Jill filed a claim with State Farm and was told she would receive a call back. After 2 days of not hearing from them, Jill called again and was told her information was given to a field agent who she then played phone tag with for a couple days. On December 14th a different agent called her and came out to do an inspection the following day. Jill received a call from that agent on the 18th and was told her claim was denied.
In addition to State Farm, Jill also made a claim with American Home Shield, her home warranty company, in order to have a plumber come out and fix the leak in her water heater. On December 10th he came out and said she would have to pay out of pocket because the damage wasn’t normal wear and tear but was from a defective part (a hole blew out the side of the expansion tank on top of the water heater.) On December 17th Servpro came out to assess the damage and give Jill an estimate. They estimated it will cost at least $6,374.62 to remove/replace the mold damage and $3,846.77 to remove/replace the water damage, totaling $10,221.39.
That’s over $10,000 that my sister doesn’t have, especially after this economically devastating year. Unfortunately, my family and I are not financially well off enough to help her with this expense. I realize that our fundraising goal is a lot of money but I’m hoping that setting up this page and sharing Jill’s story will help us put a dent in that amount. Jill, Savannah, the rest of our family and I will be incredibly grateful for any and every donation, no matter the amount! All donations will go directly to Jill and Savannah and will be used to pay for the mold and water damage removal.
My sister has never asked for anything and has worked hard for everything her entire life, which is why I’m asking for her.
If you are unable to donate, but still want to help Jill and Savannah, please share this link to your Facebook or other social media platforms!
Organizer and beneficiary
Robb DeCamp
Organizer
Marietta, OH
Jill DeCamp
Beneficiary