Commercial · Condo / AOAO · Large Loss

Hotel, Condo or Business Claim
Delayed, Denied, or Underpaid?

A large claim doesn’t have to be denied before problems begin. Low estimates, partial payments, a hurricane deductible applied to the whole building, business income cut short, conflicting engineer reports — these shape the outcome long before any denial letter. Island Claims is Hawaiʻi’s licensed public adjusting firm. We represent property owners, associations and businesses — never insurance companies.

Buildings
Structure & Code
Roofs, envelopes, interiors, common elements — plus the upgrades today’s building code requires when you rebuild
Contents
Equipment & Inventory
Furnishings, fixtures, kitchen and pool equipment, stock, electronics — itemized and priced for Hawaiʻi
Operations
Business Income
Lost income, extra expense and continuing costs while you’re closed or slowed — for the full period of restoration
Policy
Deductibles & Layers
Master, hurricane, excess and flood policies — which one responds, and whether the right deductible was applied

Island Claims is a public adjusting firm, not a law firm. We work alongside your broker, managing agent, contractors and, when a dispute calls for it, your attorney.

Complimentary Commercial Claim Review

Open claim, low offer, or denial? Tell us about the property and where the claim stands — our licensed Hawaiʻi team reviews every submission, including the insurer’s estimate and letters if you have them.

Tap to upload or drag and drop

Damage photos · Policy · Claim docs · PDF, JPG, PNG · 20MB max each

No upfront cost. We only get paid when you receive your settlement.
Your information is confidential — see our Privacy Policy. Mahalo.Hawaii Public Adjuster License #553921

Mahalo! We Have Your Submission.

Our team will review your property and claim, and the licensed PA best suited to your loss will reach out to schedule a call and walk through your next steps.

ISLAND CLAIMS · WE’VE GOT YOU

Does This Sound Like Your Claim?

Eight Warning Signs a Large Claim Is Going Sideways

None of these requires a denial letter. Each one can cost six or seven figures on a hotel, condo tower, farm or commercial building — and each one is easier to fix while the claim is still open.

  • The estimate is far below your contractor’s numbersMainland pricing, missing line items, or no allowance for barge freight and island labor.
  • Partial payments, then silenceAn advance arrives, then months of requests for more documents with no decision.
  • A hurricane deductible was appliedOn a large building a percentage deductible can erase most of the payment — check the trigger wording.
  • Their engineer blames wear and tearConflicting expert reports that turn storm damage into “pre-existing” or “maintenance.”
  • Business income is being cut shortThe period of restoration ends before you can actually reopen, or ongoing expenses are left out.
  • Code upgrades were left outPermits require upgrades the estimate doesn’t include — often a separate coverage.
  • Smoke, water or mold called “cosmetic”Hidden damage in HVAC, walls and ceilings treated as a cleaning job.
  • Deadlines are getting closeProof of loss, appraisal and suit-limitation dates are approaching and the claim isn’t resolved.
Who evaluates the damage matters

The insurer has its adjuster, engineers and accountants. So should you.

On a large loss the insurance company assembles a team: a field adjuster, a desk adjuster, building consultants, sometimes a forensic accountant. Their reports become the claim file. We build yours — with our own inspection, a line-item estimate priced for Hawaiʻi, and documentation organized so every reviewer can approve it.

What Makes a Large Loss Different

Four Parts of Every Large Claim. We Work All Four.

1 · The building — and what code requires now

Repairs to an older building often trigger today’s code: roofing, electrical, energy and accessibility upgrades. Ordinance or law coverage can pay for those upgrades, and the cost can count once the code is enforced — for example, when a permit is conditioned — not only after the work is paid for. We identify code items before the estimate is agreed.

2 · Business income & extra expense

Business income is measured over a period of restoration, and the start and end dates matter. We document sales history, continuing expenses, payroll, the dates payments arrive and every delay, so the claim reflects the time you were actually closed or slowed — plus the extra expense of staying open.

3 · Contents, equipment & inventory

Furniture in 200 hotel rooms, a commercial kitchen, pool pumps, farm equipment, retail stock. Large contents claims are won with organized inventories, models and serial numbers, and replacement pricing that includes shipping to the islands.

4 · Layered policies & deductibles

Master policy, hurricane policy, excess layers, flood, owners’ HO-6 policies and loss assessments. We map which policy responds to which damage, confirm the right deductible was applied, and keep the insurers from leaving you in the gap between them.

What it costs$0 upfront, ever. Your review is Complimentary. If we take your claim, our fee is a percentage of the recovery — stated in writing before any work begins. No recovery, no fee. Hawaii Public Adjuster License #553921.
Who We Help

Commercial & Association Property Across Hawaiʻi

From a single storefront in Paʻia to a 300-unit condominium in Waikīkī, the work is the same: understand the policy, document the loss completely, and price it for Hawaiʻi.

Condo associations (AOAOs)

Master policy claims, common elements, unit damage and owner assessments.

Hotels & vacation rentals

Rooms, amenities, contents and lost bookings during repairs.

Farms & ranches

Barns, greenhouses, equipment, fencing and ag structures.

Churches & nonprofits

Sanctuaries, halls, schools and community buildings.

Retail & restaurants

Storefronts, kitchens, inventory, spoilage and closures.

Commercial buildings

Offices, warehouses, industrial and mixed-use properties.

Landlords & property managers

Multi-unit rentals, tenant coordination and lost rents.

Schools & community facilities

Classrooms, gyms, clinics and shared-use spaces.

How We Work a Large Loss

From Coverage Map to Final Settlement

Map the coverage

We read every policy, endorsement and deductible, and identify each deadline — notice, proof of loss, appraisal and suit limitation — on day one.

Document and scope the loss

Our own inspection, moisture and damage documentation, and a line-item estimate priced for Hawaiʻi materials, freight and labor, including code-required upgrades.

Build the claim package

A clear cover letter, a short claim summary, the estimate with its assumptions stated, labeled photos by area, supporting invoices and a paid-versus-claimed reconciliation — built so each reviewer can approve it.

Support business income

Sales and expense history, payroll, closure and outage records, plus a dated log of payments and delays — organized for the insurer’s accountant.

Negotiate to settlement

We negotiate directly with the insurer. If the policy’s appraisal process fits, we help you invoke it. If a dispute needs an attorney, we help you bring one in early and work alongside them.

Hawaiʻi claim worksheets

Loss Documentation Worksheet, ALE & Extra Expense Tracker, Hurricane Deductible Explainer and Proof-of-Loss Checklist — print-ready PDFs for owners, boards and managers.

Get the Worksheets
Commercial Claim Questions

Answers for Owners, Boards & Managers

Yes. Association claims usually involve several layers at once — the master policy, a separate hurricane policy or wind buy-back, sometimes excess coverage such as the Hawaiʻi Hurricane Relief Fund, plus owners’ HO-6 policies and loss assessments. We map which policy responds to which damage, document common elements and units, and keep the board, the managing agent and owners informed with one organized claim file.
Not automatically. In August 2026 Hawaiʻi’s Insurance Commissioner reminded insurers that a hurricane watch or warning is not the same thing as a storm’s classification, that each claim must be evaluated on its own facts and the policy’s actual wording, and that coverage and deductible decisions must be clearly explained (Commissioner’s Memorandum 2026-7A). On a large building, a percentage hurricane deductible can mean a six-figure difference, so the trigger language deserves a close review.
No — and the best time is earlier. Large claims are shaped long before any denial: in the first inspection, the scope, the choice of engineers and consultants, and how business income is calculated. Low estimates, partial payments, conflicting expert reports and slow responses are all problems worth addressing while the file is still open.
Photos and video before cleanup, every invoice for mitigation and temporary repairs, payroll and sales records for the months before and after the loss, closure notices and outage records, inventory lists, equipment models and serial numbers, and a dated log of every call and letter with the insurer — including when each payment arrives. Our Hawaiʻi Loss Documentation Worksheet and ALE & Extra Expense Tracker are built for exactly this.
Every policy sets its own deadlines for notice, proof of loss and disputes, and Hawaiʻi law sets outer limits for lawsuits that can run from the date of loss. A disputed commercial claim should be reviewed by a Hawaiʻi attorney well before two years have passed. We track every date in your file and help bring in counsel early when it’s needed. This is general information, not legal advice.
Nothing upfront. Your review is Complimentary. If we take the claim, our fee is a percentage of the recovery, stated in a written agreement before any work begins. No recovery, no fee.
Helpful Resources

Whether You Hire Us or Not