Homeowners and business owners across Bergen County, New Jersey face some of the highest flood and storm-damage exposure in the state, layered on top of an aging housing stock that makes claims more complicated than adjusters from national carriers tend to acknowledge. GB Claims LLC is a licensed public adjusting firm that represents policyholders — not insurance companies — throughout Bergen County towns including Hackensack, Teaneck, Fair Lawn, Ridgewood, Paramus, Fort Lee, Englewood, Lodi, Saddle Brook, and River Edge.
Local Risk Profile and Building Stock in Bergen County
Bergen County’s housing is older than most people realize: over half of the county’s homes (53.5%) were built before 1960, and 77.4% were built before 1980, with a median construction year of 1960 across the county’s housing stock (Bergen County Master Plan). The county is still dominated by single-family detached homes (53.3%), but it also carries a meaningful share of two-family and duplex properties (13.9%) and larger multifamily buildings of 20 or more units (13.7%), which means claims teams need to understand everything from a 1920s Craftsman in Ridgewood to a mid-rise co-op in Fort Lee.
That older housing stock brings older roofing, knob-and-tube or early aluminum wiring in some homes, cast iron and galvanized plumbing prone to failure, and finished basements that are especially vulnerable to flood and sewer backup losses. Bergen County was ranked the second most flood-prone county in the entire United States in a 2024 analysis of FEMA data (NorthJersey.com), and the county has recorded 90 flash flood events since 1950 through August 2024, resulting in three deaths, one injury, and roughly $17.5 million in damage (Bergen County Hazard Risk Assessment).
Much of that risk traces back to the county’s rivers and streams: the Hackensack River, the Saddle River (with a long flooding history in Lodi, Saddle Brook, and Fair Lawn), the Passaic River along the county’s southern edge, and smaller but flash-flood-prone waterways like the Pascack Brook, the Hohokus Brook, and the Ramapo River near Mahwah and Oakland. FEMA’s National Risk Index rates Bergen County’s coastal flood exposure as “Very High” with an estimated annualized loss near $34 million, and riverine flooding as “High” with an estimated annualized loss around $217 million (NJ State Hazard Mitigation Plan, Flood Chapter).
Nor’easters are the other recurring threat. The March 1962 “Ash Wednesday” storm destroyed 1,853 homes statewide and caused roughly $85 million in damage, the 1991 Halloween “Perfect Storm” caused about $90 million in damage across New Jersey, and a March 2010 nor’easter caused another $85 million in damage across Bergen, Passaic, and Union counties alone (NJ Office of Emergency Management, Nor’easter Hazard Profile). Winter weather is also rated “Very High” risk for the county under FEMA’s index, driving ice dam and roof-collapse claims every heating season.
Types of Losses We Handle in Bergen County
- Water and flash flooding: Basement and first-floor flooding from the Saddle River, Hackensack River, and local brooks, plus sewer backup claims common in older Bergen County drainage systems.
- Storm and wind damage: Nor’easter and hurricane-remnant wind damage to roofs, siding, and fencing, along with tree-fall claims on older homes with mature landscaping.
- Fire and smoke damage: Structure fires in older wood-frame homes and attached two-family properties, including smoke and soot damage to adjoining units.
- Pipe failures and ice dams: Winter freeze claims tied to older plumbing and attic insulation, plus resulting water and mold damage.
- Theft and burglary: Documentation and valuation of stolen property and forced-entry property damage.
- Business interruption: Lost income claims for Bergen County retail, medical, and professional office tenants after a covered property loss.
How the Public Adjusting Claim Process Works
When you hire GB Claims LLC, we start with a free, no-obligation inspection of the damage. If you decide to move forward, we handle the entire claim on your behalf: documenting the loss with photos, moisture readings, and detailed scope-of-damage estimates; researching your policy language for coverage that is often missed; preparing a complete, itemized estimate using industry-standard estimating software; and negotiating directly with your insurance carrier’s adjuster so you don’t have to. We work on a contingency basis with no upfront fee on public adjusting claims, meaning our firm is only paid out of your settlement.
Licensed and Local to the Region
GB Claims LLC is a licensed public adjusting firm authorized to represent policyholders on property claims in New Jersey, in addition to New York, Pennsylvania, and Connecticut. Our office is based at 71 Lafayette Ave, Suite 203, Suffern, New York — just minutes from the Bergen County line via Route 17 and the NJ Route 17/I-287 corridor, allowing us to respond quickly to inspections throughout the county. Our New Jersey public adjuster license number is [[LICENSE NUMBER TO BE INSERTED]]. Consumers can verify any adjuster’s license status or file a complaint through the New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance at their licensee search tool or consumer resources page, or by calling the DOBI consumer hotline at 1-800-446-7467.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Bergen County flood even outside of a hurricane?
Yes. Bergen County has recorded 90 flash flood events since 1950, and heavy rainfall along the Saddle River, Hackensack River, and smaller brooks like the Hohokus Brook can cause significant basement and street flooding without any named storm involved (Bergen County Hazard Risk Assessment).
My home in Bergen County is older — does that affect my claim?
It can. With over half the county’s housing built before 1960, insurers frequently try to apply depreciation or code-upgrade exclusions to older roofs, wiring, and plumbing. A public adjuster reviews your policy for ordinance-or-law coverage and other provisions that may apply.
Do you handle claims for two-family and multifamily properties in towns like Fort Lee or Fair Lawn?
Yes. With duplexes and larger multifamily buildings making up over a quarter of Bergen County’s housing stock, we regularly document and negotiate claims involving shared walls, common areas, and multiple affected units.
Is there a fee if you don’t win my claim?
No. GB Claims LLC works on a contingency basis for public adjusting claims — there is no upfront fee, and our fee is only earned as a percentage of your successful settlement.
If your Bergen County property has been damaged by flooding, storm, fire, or water loss, call GB Claims LLC today for a free claim review at 845-456-6699 — no upfront fee, no obligation.
Related Pages
- Public Adjuster New Jersey
- Public Adjuster Passaic County, NJ
- Public Adjuster Lakewood / Ocean County, NJ