In October 2025 a cold water copper pipe failed inside the master bathroom wall of a North Hollywood home and damaged the tile and laminate flooring. The family had to move out while the floors and kitchen cabinets were torn out. Ares Public Adjusters worked with the carrier's adjuster, and the homeowners recovered $203,051.00.
What happened: a copper pipe failed inside a North Hollywood wall
In October 2025 a cold water copper pipe inside the master bathroom wall of this North Hollywood home failed. The water did not stay in the bathroom. It damaged several types of flooring in the home, including tile and laminate.
It is a common kind of water damage claim for North Hollywood homeowners, because the failure is hidden inside a wall until the damage shows up on the floors.
How the failed pipe was found
When a pipe fails inside a wall you usually see the damage before you know the source. Staining and moisture readings tell you water is there, not where it is coming from. A detection company pinpointed exactly where the pipe failed, so the wall could be opened in the right spot instead of cutting around and hoping.
That access work was covered under the claim, and the plumbing access check was the first payment on the file.
Demolition, flooring and moving out during the repairs
Once the pipe was found, the wall was opened and the pipe was repaired. The water had hit so much of the flooring that all of it had to come out, along with the kitchen cabinets and other finishes.
Nobody can live in a house with that going on, least of all a family. We worked it out with the adjuster so the family could move out during demolition, and the carrier paid monthly additional living expenses, usually called ALE, for the cost of living somewhere else while the home was not livable.
How the claim went with the insurance company
There was no fight on this one. The adjuster was easy to work with, and we agreed on the scope without a dispute: the plumbing access, the rebuild, a supplement to the rebuild and the family's monthly living expenses.
Our part was getting the full scope on paper, coordinating the move-out and keeping the payments coming while the work was done.
What the North Hollywood homeowners recovered
Total recovery on the claim was $203,051.00. That included plumbing access, the initial rebuild, a rebuild supplement and monthly living expenses while the family was out of the home. The checks shown below were issued between October 2025 and February 2026.
Every claim is different and no result is guaranteed.
Selected settlement checks
