Heavy rains caused a Category 3 sewer backup in three buildings within the same complex. Twenty-four units were evacuated as a matter of urgency. The real challenge wasn’t the construction work itself, but coordinating three separate insurers to facilitate a single construction site. Bélisle handled all administrative coordination, allowing the property manager to focus on their tenants.
Type of claim: Sewer backup, Category 3 water damage
Sector: Residential rental, 324-unit complex
Scope: 3 separate buildings, 24 units affected (8 per building)
Claim value: Approximately $900,000
Affected tenants: 24, several of whom did not have personal insurance
1. Background
A 324-unit housing complex, spread across three buildings within the same complex, suffered a major sewer backup following heavy rains. Water accumulated to a depth of one to two feet in the ground-floor units—eight units per building. This constituted a Category 3 water damage incident: the presence of pathogens required the affected tenants to evacuate quickly for health reasons.
The property manager wants repairs carried out simultaneously in all three buildings to minimize management time and return to normal as quickly as possible. The case involves the president of the management company, an electrical engineer for inspections, as well as three claims adjusters and three estimators, since each building is insured separately.
2. The Real Problem
Each building is insured by a different company. Three claims adjusters, three estimators, three different ways of calculating and approving the work: for the manager, this poses a real risk of the project being fragmented into three separate construction sites, with schedules that do not align with one another.
At the same time, several tenants did not have personal insurance. The manager had to coordinate their emergency relocation without holding up the entire project.
3. The Pressure
The president of the management company wanted things to move quickly while the three insurers finalized their respective estimates. The main risk: that the three insurers would not submit their estimates at the same time, forcing the project to be handled as separate phases rather than a single phase—exactly what the manager wanted to avoid in order to simplify project management for his tenants.
4. The Intervention
Once the tenants had been evacuated, Bélisle obtained authorization from all three insurers to begin emergency demolition. At the same time, a cost estimate was prepared in collaboration with each of the three insurers, adhering to their respective standards, rates, and software.
On-site, the teams worked in a continuous rotation among the three buildings: one team would make progress on Building A, then move on to Building B while another team took over behind them. This approach allowed three separate claims to be handled as a single project, exactly as the manager had requested.
On-site monitoring relied on visits every 48 hours, a foreman present at all times, and a schedule communicated to all parties from the very start of the project.
5. Unforeseen Issues
Upfront preparation—a clear initial site visit and a well-defined scope of work agreed upon with each insurer—helped avoid unpleasant surprises during construction. The real risk was not technical, but administrative: that the three insurers would not agree on a common timeline. By communicating this requirement from the very start of the project, this risk was eliminated even before construction began.
6. The Result
Costs: Budget of approximately $900,000 met
Timelines: Schedule met despite coordinating three separate insurance claims
Execution: A single construction project delivered as planned, despite involving three buildings and three insurers
Workload reduced for the manager: Administrative management of the three insurance claims, coordination of subcontractors, daily monitoring of the construction site
“You’re only as strong as the weakest link in the team. In this case, the team was strong, and that led to good results.”
— Maxime Bélisle, Project Manager