Margate Homeowner Says Insurance Offer Complete Joke; Amherst Street Collapse.

margate amherst street damage mathis constructon
Home Damaged by Margate Street Work.

Donna lives at 301 N Clermont. She wants to know what Margate will do about her home that’s sinking in the ground.

Multiple Margate homes were damaged during recent Amherst street and sewer work. Foundation cracks and more. Some may have to rebuild.

If Mathis, the contractor Margate hired, won’t pay a fair amount for repair, will affected homeowners push Margate to help out financially?

Listen: Margate Mtg 7.15.2021

Did Mathis (contractor) or Margate misjudge water table? Dig too deep? Heavy equipment created ground disruption?

It’s very disturbing to us. We retired down here in December. I have a sick husband and now we’re uprooted. Our house is on steel beams. We’re not getting anywhere with Mathis (contractor).

The Amherst Ave street project between Douglas & Clarendon damaged many homes. Insurance claims in process.

Margate Homeowners vs Mathis Construction vs Travelers Insurance. 

Margate Solicitor Abbott: Travelers Insurance Company sending out offers of settlement.

My house up on steel beams. Insurance company offer is a joke. 

Homeowner

Abbott: I understand it’s a serious situation for you. It’s a terrible situation, but insurance company is responsible for it.  

Margate Becker Amodeo Blumberg Mathis Amherst Disaster
Will Amodeo, Becker & Blumberg help homeowners?

Abbott: They’ve been to your property to inspect it. They’re going to come up with an estimate. And as with all insurance claims, they will process it. I understand that these offers are imminent. 

We did receive insurance offer. It’s a complete joke, I’m not at liberty to disclose the amount. 

Clermont Homeowner

Abbott: OK, fair enough. Your lawyer will have to respond to them with what you feel is reasonable, fair amount. And then there’s there’s always the alternative of you go to court. You sue them. 

Margate Homeowner: Will Margate try to help us even more because we found out that we could be in litigation for more than two years. We’re being told that our house should be torn down because the ground underneath isn’t stable? Where do we go? We’re on Social Security.

margate solicitor Abbott
Margate Solicitor Abbott

Solicitor Abbott: Look, we’re doing everything we can. The responsibility lies with (Mathis) contractor. They have to handle this. Travelers Insurance has to make you a reasonable, fair offer. Either sue them and force them to court. Or perhaps there’s mediation. Come up with your counter proposals to what you think is fair. 

Homeowner: Court fees come out of our pocket.  

Abbott: I don’t know what to say to you. We can’t pay your legal fees for your lawyer at this point. 

The roads are not done. Worse now than it ever was. Water undermining our home even more. 

Margate Engineer Ed Dennis: Amherst Ave phase one project between Douglas and Clarendon. We’re still in a holding pattern. All of the construction work is complete except for final paving. Mr. Abbott may want to comment on damaged homes there. The claims are in process between homeowners and contractor and insurance company. Settlement discussions are confidential in nature. City not directly the one that can begin repair work on these homes. It’s up to Travelers Insurance Company. 

margate mayor becker amodeo blumberg

Travelers Insurance: The homeowners can accept, reject or counter or just reject and file suit. Hoping these issues can be negotiated and resolved without resort to litigation, but time will tell.

Margate Engineer: Ultimately, money for repairs comes from the insurance company. I do talk to homeowners and I do the best I can to explain the process. I understand their frustration because they want to turn to the city for help. We’re doing everything we can to help within the confines of the contract and the process that we need to follow.

City of Margate Should Help Homeowners With Legal Fees.

Public Comment

20 thoughts on “Margate Homeowner Says Insurance Offer Complete Joke; Amherst Street Collapse.”

  1. Travelers Insurance is the worst. They have a ‘No-pay’ claims policy. The longer they don’t pay the claim, the less likely they will pay.

    They avoid paying claims and pay much less than their obligated to pay, under the policies financial strategy.

    My recommendation: join all homeowners together and litigate.

    Formal complaint to Attorney General and Department of Banking and Insurance .

  2. I agree that a class action suit would carry more weight that individual home owners suing. And the city should be responsible for the legal fees. They hired the contractor.

  3. Jacquie – while you’re correct, class action suits typically taken a long time to play out. The city technically isn’t liable, their contractors are.

  4. Bless you for this article. I’m one of the homeowners with awful damage.

    Trying to find the next Margate meeting, as I would like to speak too!

  5. Your house sinking on Amherst Ave? No biggie, because we have Bocca! Don’t worry about a thing. Because The Three Amigos (Margate Commissioners) are going to help Bocca before they help you.

    No worries, their homes aren’t on Amherst, but if they were, the City Commissioners would be there tonight to help fix the situation.

    What a joke! We should be waving Becker, Amodeo and Blumberg into the sunset.

  6. Long time Margate resident

    Homeowner in Margate for 44 years. I love it here. The Three Stooges running this town are worst I’ve ever seen.

    The attitude that Margate City is not responsible for what’s happening or worse yet not happening for us home owners is a direct continuance of the poor attitude and leadership of these three incompetent individuals.

    Margate supposedly does due diligence in selecting competent suppliers for work in the city.

    Whatever decisions are made, are made with ‘what’s in it for me?’ Self-enrichment appears to be the overriding influence in every decision by city employees. Especially the Three Stooges.

    It’s a shame to witness how my town has been disrespected and harmed by self-serving public officials.

  7. Mayor Becker supports unsafe shutdown of Essex Ave, but ignores all the Amherst homes damaged by clumsy contractor hired by City of Margate.

    Time to recall Becker, Amodeo and Blumberg.

  8. Suggest you do some research on the best Public Adjustment firm in the area.
    There is one in Bensalam Pa. named Summit, and seems to have a good reputation.
    They work on fees based on the difference between what insurance companies offer and what they get you through their involvement.
    Good Luck

  9. Long Time Res – the attitude of the commissioners certainly deserves all of the criticism it gets. But they are completely correct legally that the damage is the sole responsibility of the contractor. That’s why contractors are bonded and insured. Could the city be more aggressive in intervening to get this addressed? Sure. But legally, it’s not their accountability for the contractor-caused damage.

  10. Call JSS Claims public adjusters. In order to properly fight Travelers you need experience adjusters on your side. It is a step before legal and a lot less expensive. You also need to fight based on policy language or it can invalidate any claim 484-265-1599

  11. Some questions to think about.

    1. The city hired the contractor. Isn’t the city is responsible for the contractors they employ, not the homeowner.
    2. Who designed the repair? The city engineer? A third party? Where is their responsibility?
    3. Is there a performance bond?

    Sure hope the contractor has not been paid.

  12. A friend and neighbor

    I would also contact the state of NJ attorney general’s office as they may offer some assistance. And elected state officials on state government

  13. A good Samaritan

    Get an injunction to stop all work on the project first. Don’t let the city or the contractor work any more till your issues are resolved. This will force them to move quickly.

  14. Been there, done that.

    Have margate provide you a copy of the performance bond (which will list the maximum travelers will have to pay), find an experienced construction surety bond litigation lawyer in philadelphia, and file a written complaint with the state insurance commissioner.

  15. You are correct, Long Time Margate Resident. Whatever decisions are made, they are made with, “What’s in it for me?” So very true, and very sad.

  16. JAR – please provide proof of your claims. Not innuendo, not belief, any actual proof. And kindly don’t misinterpret my comments to mean ANY scintilla of support for Margate leadership. There certainly seem to be some absurd, misguided and odd decisions being made. But it just seems a little cowardly and cavalier for many folks to state your allegations of grift or legal wrongdoing as fact in the absence of actual evidence.

  17. Margate Charlie

    A lot of folks believe the Margate officials are shady because of their behaviors, If there was proof of this they would be long gone to jail. D.A.’s and reporters love to bury goverment officials on the take. But when you look at some of the decisions being made in Margate you have to question the motives. Bocca, Lamberti’s, One way Amherst, road diet on Atlantic, lack of bike racks at the bulk heads, ect, it certainly seems like the residents of Margates interest are not their interests. So if they are not in it to represent the tax payers than where does their interest lie? I can see why people jump to conclusions.
    If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck it usually is a duck.

  18. Charlie – that’s my point. If there is such evidence, find it and bring it. And to your analogy, if it is a duck, it a should be easily provable to be a duck, correct? Just like it was multiple times in Atlantic City. Otherwise, it’s tailor made for anonymous message board fodder like most try and make it.

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