Home Claim Denied? Here's What to Do Now and What to Do Next Time
There are times when it may seem that your homeownersinsurance company is not handling your claim properly
. You may think that your claims adjustor is investigating your claim in a biased manner. It may appear that your insurance company made their decision about your claim before your home was ever even inspected. Well, the sad truth is that you might be right.
Insurance companies are businesses. They are in business to make money and increase profits. Paying claims does not help with increasing profits. If paying claims threatens an insurance company's business viability, they may start handling claims with bias.
Top 10 Insurance companies Some homeowners have had terrible experiences with their legitimate homeowners claim.They are treated rudely from the very beginning of the claims process, as soon as they submit their claim. They may be made to feel as if they are somehow doing something wrong.The tone of the insurance claims receptionist can be far from polite, to say the least.
And then the adjustor calls you and asks you several questions, giving little or no response to your answers. His questions may seem to be leading or insinuating. He may try to verbally bully you and you will feel as if you are being interrogated.
Next, the adjustor inspects for the damages. But, first, an appointment for the inspection must be set. Sometimes, the adjustor will go out of his way to "fake you out" about the time frame of the inspection. He may tell you one time while planning to be there earlier. Or he may try to schedule an appointment with you forthe same day that he first contacts you, claiming that he can't do it any other time or stressing how "busy" he is.
This is all an effort to inspect for the damages while no one is present, or catching the homeowner off guard. The inspection itself may seem like little more than a dog and pony show with the adjustor obviously going through the motions and performing a less than thorough inspection.
During the inspection, the adjustor, who once was so inquisitive about your claim over the phone, suddenly doesn't have any questions for you. He simply wants to know as little as possible about your damage situation and if he asks you questions, it may only be in an attempt to steer the ficus from what actually matters bout your claim.
Questions like, "Why didn't you report this claim sooner?" or "What is this OTHER damage from?" are among some of the common questions you might hear from an adjustor during a biased inspection. The only twothings that truly matter about your homeowner claim is if you have damage and if that damaged is covered. Damage unrelated to your claim that you did not submit a claim for and the exact nature of your submitting of the claim are merely distractions.
Another strategy that insurance companies use is dragging the process out. They may voluntarily send several different inspectors before rendering a decision. This way, they can claim that they thoroughly inspected it and they can try to sell you on the idea that their decision is final. They try to ware you down over time with hopes that you will get so frustrated that you will simply give up.
Their final decision will either be a complete denial or something similar and though the insurance company may never have overtly broken the law, it would seem that the final decision was an inevitability, a foregone conclusion. And when this is the case, it is not fair, not right, and, if nothing else, unethical.
As the homeowner, you are left with unrepaired damageand with what may seem likelimited options at your disposal. In actuality, however, you can take your claim to the highest levels of the court systems. You can submit for re-inspections to your insurance company and make sure that you tell them that you do not pan on going away until you are satisfied that your claim has been handles and decided properly and fairly.
If your insurance company refuses to honor any more re-inspection requests, you can take your claim to appraisal. There may be a small upfront fee for this, but appraisal is a state mandated process where an agreement must be reached and is basically final.
Writing a letter to your insurance company can be powerful as well. You may not think that they will take your letter seriously, but a letter is a physical, verifiable piece of evidence. Send it certified and state your case concisely. Make sure you focus your letteron the transpirings of your claim (a documentation of how things occurred), and the damage that your house has suffered.
Don't reference your neighbor's claims or other unrelated items. Also, don't concentrate much on the fact that you think you were treated rudely. Again, make your argument about the damage. The damage and whatever storm or other sudden event caused it is what your claim decision should be based on.
Because of potential negativehomeowner claims situations, it is recommended that you use an
experienced insurance restoration contractor. You may want to contact such a contractor before you submit your claim. This way, you can get educated about your situation and your damage and what it will take to repair the damage.
Plus, your restoration specialist can meet with your claims adjustor and provide an appropriate estimate for the repairs. Having a knowledgeable contractor on your side can make a huge difference in your final claim outcome. An insurance company may try to dupe you but probably not you and a qualified contractor that is familiar with the claims process.
Home Claim Denied? Here's What to Do Now and What to Do Next Time
By: NIRCL
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