Videos & Media
Educational videos, media appearances, and presentations by Leland Coontz, California Licensed Public Adjuster — drawing from decades of experience handling property insurance claims across every major carrier.
Media Appearances
Leland has been featured on national media discussing insurance claims, wildfire recovery, and the systemic problems with how insurance companies handle property damage.
After the Fires
FeaturedNPR Planet Money · January 23, 2025
NPR reporter Nick Fountain follows Leland through the LA wildfire burn zone as he works claims for displaced homeowners. The episode explores how insurance adjusters value homes and possessions after they've been reduced to rubble — and why the system is so dysfunctional that most people can't navigate it without professional help. "Is it a good system? No. Very dysfunctional system... the average person can't figure it out and they get taken advantage of."
How Do Insurance Companies Determine the Value of Homes Destroyed by Wildfires?
NPR · January 31, 2025
Companion article to the Planet Money episode. Leland explains that when he worked for an insurance company, the system incentivized clearing cases fast — not getting homeowners fair settlements. Now as a public adjuster, he "really sweats the details" and regularly gets his clients larger payouts.
Can a Policyholder Profit From a Loss?
Property Insurance Coverage Law Blog (Merlin Law Group) · December 3, 2019
Leland's provocative post in the "Level The Playing Field" Facebook group challenged the insurance industry assertion that policyholders cannot profit from their claim. The post generated over 130 comments and was featured on Chip Merlin's nationally-read insurance law blog.
Xactimate & Estimating
Tens of Thousands in Electrical Damage Left on the Table
Coming SoonApril 2021
How adjusters consistently miss electrical damage on property claims — and the line items you need to capture it.
Plaster Wall Heights: That Extra 3 Inches Means More Money
Coming SoonDecember 2021
8'3" walls instead of 8' standard? That extra 3% in painting estimates adds up. A detail most adjusters miss.
New vs. Old Construction Pricing in Xactimate
Coming SoonJune 2022
Why old construction labor is slower, harder, and more expensive — and how to price it correctly in Xactimate.
How to Save and Print Xactimate Line Item Reports
Coming SoonSeptember 2021
A practical walkthrough of saving and printing detailed reports that explain each line item in your Xactimate estimate.
Using Fire Escape Drawings as Xactimate Underlay
Coming SoonOctober 2022
A time-saving technique: import fire escape drawings as a floor plan underlay in Xactimate.
Fire & Smoke Damage
Why Smoke and Asbestos Damage Means Total Loss Appliances
Coming SoonNovember 2022
When a fire releases asbestos, every appliance in the home is contaminated. Here's why cleaning isn't enough and replacement is the standard.
Burn & Learn: Fire Cause and Origin Training
Coming SoonSeptember 2015
Hands-on fire cause and origin training — understanding burn patterns, char depth, and how investigators determine where a fire started.
Efficient Proximate Cause: When Meth Addicts Damage a Property After a Fire
Coming SoonMay 2022
A real coverage question: if a fire leads to vacancy which leads to meth addict damage, is the fire the efficient proximate cause? Insurance law deep dive.
Mudslide Covered as Fire Loss: Anti-Concurrent Causation Explained
Coming SoonMay 2025
When a wildfire strips vegetation and the next rain causes a mudslide — how efficient proximate cause and anti-concurrent causation determine coverage.
Smoke Is Pressurized: How It Travels Through Walls and Attics
Coming SoonMarch 2025
Smoke doesn't just float through open doors. It's pressurized and forces its way through outlets, plumbing penetrations, and wall cavities. Here's why that matters for your claim.
Water Damage
Interior Water Damage Scoping
Coming SoonNovember 2021
How to properly scope interior water damage — what to look for, what adjusters miss, and how to document it.
Suggestions for Scoping a Water Loss
Coming SoonJuly 2022
Practical field tips for scoping water losses — moisture readings, affected areas, and building a complete estimate.
How Forensic Architects Check Water Intrusion
Coming SoonMay 2023
Watch a forensic architect use professional techniques to check for water intrusion patterns that standard inspections miss.
Cross-Contamination on Condo and Rental Policy Claims
Coming SoonFebruary 2025
When water damage crosses unit boundaries in condos — who pays what, and how coverage allocation works between policies.
Claims Strategy & Insurance Law
When Must an Insurer Pay? Contract, Statute, Case Law, and Trade Standard
Coming SoonSeptember 2024
The four sources of authority that determine when a carrier is obligated to pay: the policy contract, state statutes, case law, and industry trade standards.
State Insurance Codes: Matching Not Required for ACV Policies
Coming SoonApril 2023
A nuanced point most adjusters get wrong: matching requirements under the Model Fair Claims Act may not apply to actual cash value policies.
Newest Trend: Carriers Taking Money Back
Coming SoonJune 2025
A disturbing new pattern: insurance companies paying claims and then demanding the money back. What's driving this and what to do about it.
The Psychology of Insurance Claims
Coming SoonMarch 2025
Understanding the psychological dynamics at play in claims handling — why adjusters behave the way they do, and how to use that knowledge strategically.
Contractors & Bad Faith
Contractors Can Sue Insurers for Bad Faith and O&P on Mitigation
Coming SoonFebruary 2023
A legal strategy most contractors don't know about: suing insurance companies directly for bad faith and overhead & profit on mitigation work.
Insurance Restoration Contractors Can Sue for Bad Faith
Coming SoonFebruary 2023
How restoration contractors can pursue bad faith claims against insurers who systematically underpay mitigation invoices.
The Public Adjuster Profession
Why Public Adjusters Are Needed: Standard vs. Above Average Tile
Coming SoonFebruary 2024
A simple tile grade dispute that illustrates exactly why homeowners need professional representation. The adjuster says standard tile; the home has above-average. That difference is real money.
PA Work Is More Than Wind Damage to Residential Roofs
Coming SoonMarch 2022
The public adjusting profession handles far more than roof claims. Water, fire, smoke, contents, commercial, code upgrades — a look at the full scope.
The Public Adjuster Visits the Slab Yard
Coming SoonFebruary 2023
Why a public adjuster visits a stone slab yard: understanding material costs, quality differences, and how to properly price countertop replacements.
Construction Details for Claims
Tilt Wall Construction: Saw Cutting, OSHA Silica, and Cold Joints
Coming SoonJune 2022
Understanding tilt-wall commercial construction — saw cutting, silica exposure regulations, and cold joints. Critical knowledge for commercial claims.
Asbestos Testing: Every Layer of Flooring, Mastic, and Drywall
Coming SoonNovember 2022
Where to test for asbestos in fire and water losses: every flooring layer, mastic, popcorn ceiling, pipe wrap, and drywall joint compound.
Porcelain vs. Ceramic Tile: Rectified Tile and Lippage
Coming SoonOctober 2021
Understanding the difference between porcelain and ceramic, what rectified tile is, and why lippage matters for insurance claim scoping.
Shear Panel for Seismic Strength in California
Coming SoonJanuary 2024
Shear panels are a California building code requirement for seismic resistance. Here's what they are and why they matter for your insurance claim.
Damaged Old Craftsman Home: $200K Restoration
Coming SoonMarch 2021
A walk-through of a severely damaged Craftsman home hit by a vehicle — $200,000 in restoration to period-correct specifications.
AI & Technology in Claims
Using AI to Write Letters to Insurance Companies
Coming SoonDecember 2022
How to use artificial intelligence tools to draft demand letters, position letters, and correspondence to insurance companies.
Free AI App for Writing Insurance Letters
Coming SoonDecember 2022
A walkthrough of free AI tools that can help you draft professional letters to your insurance company.
Conferences & Presentations
WTS Conference: Finding Expert Umpires for Appraisal Panels
Coming SoonApril 2021
From the Windstorm Insurance Network conference — how to find qualified umpires for insurance appraisal panels and what to look for.
Xactimate Breakout: Practical Interior Estimating and Strategy
Coming SoonMarch 2021
A conference breakout session on practical Xactimate interior estimating — strategy, common pitfalls, and how to build defensible scopes.
More Videos Coming
Leland has recorded over 100 educational videos covering Xactimate estimating, fire and smoke damage, water losses, insurance law, construction details, and claims strategy. These videos are being organized and uploaded — check back regularly for new content, or contact us to be notified when new videos are posted.
About These Videos
These videos are recorded by Leland Coontz, the editor of InsuranceClaimsInfo.com and a California Licensed Public Adjuster (License #2B53445). Leland has worked property insurance claims for over 20 years on both sides of the industry — first as a company adjuster handling catastrophe claims for Hurricane Katrina, Ike, Sandy, and numerous California disasters, and now as a public adjuster advocating for homeowners and commercial property owners. His experience spans every major carrier and every type of property loss.
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