Glen Cove senior citizen fears losing home amid nearly two-year insurance battle
After pipes leaked and caused catastrophic flooding in December 2024, the house was gutted down to the studs.
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A Glen Cove senior says she could lose the funding needed to rebuild her home after spending nearly two years battling the aftermath of a devastating flood, a contractor accused of stealing insurance money and a dispute with her insurance company.
Grace Slezak has owned her Glen Cove home for more than 25 years. But after pipes leaked and caused catastrophic flooding in December 2024, the house was gutted down to the studs.
Now, as reconstruction finally begins, Slezak says a looming insurance deadline threatens to derail the project and leave her without the money needed to complete the repairs.
"I'm just extremely concerned that I'm going to be homeless unless I get help," Slezak said.
According to Slezak, the rebuilding process has been plagued by setbacks from the beginning.
She says the first major blow came in July 2025, when a contractor allegedly ran off with an insurance payment worth approximately $124,000 that had been issued for the repairs.
After that, Slezak says she spent roughly a year in a dispute with her insurance company, NYCM Insurance, over the amount needed to rebuild the home.
Most of the remaining insurance funds were not released until October 2026, she said, allowing work to finally move forward. However, the delay left little time to complete the extensive reconstruction.
Under the terms of her insurance policy, Slezak must finish rebuilding within two years of the flood. That means the project must be completed by Dec. 5, 2026.
If the work is not finished by that date, she risks losing a final insurance payment of approximately $114,000 that is currently being withheld until reconstruction is complete.
"I lose the money that they're holding back. The house would stay in the condition it's in," Slezak said. "This claim started in 2024. And now it's 2026. And I have a month to finish a house in this condition."
Slezak has asked NYCM Insurance to extend the reconstruction deadline until April 30, but she says that request has not yet been approved.
A spokesperson for the company declined to discuss the specifics of the claim but provided a statement saying:
"At NYCM Insurance, we take every claim seriously and are committed to handling each matter with fairness, professionalism, and due diligence."
Slezak argues that the delays were largely beyond her control.
"The insurance company waited 602 days, which is 83 percent of the two-year time frame that they allow for you to do the reconstruction," she said. "Eighty-three percent of the time was wasted by the insurance company."
With contractors now working against the clock, Slezak says the future of her home depends on whether the project can be completed before the deadline or whether the insurance company grants an extension.
In addition to seeking relief from the insurer, Slezak says she has filed complaints with the New York State Department of Financial Services, which oversees the insurance industry. She has also filed a lawsuit against the contractor she alleges took the initial insurance payment and failed to perform the work.
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