Page 19 - Book1

Claim Your Insurance Lottery Ticket

● The home's built-in appliances, such as a water heater or HVAC
unit
For dwelling insurance claims, it's critical that you take steps to prevent
further damage from occurring. For example, if you notice a minor leak, but
fail to act immediately, that leak may continue to cause damage. When you do
decide to file a claim, your insurance company will likely claim that your
negligence led to further damage and deny coverage.

Decision on the claim
Once your claim is submitted to your insurance carrier, it typically goes
to an inside claims department for review. That’s right folks, a person who
never saw your property is most likely the one who is making decisions on
what you will actually be paid. If the field adjuster missed some damage the
inside claims staff will never know and in some cases they may not always
agree with the field adjuster’s conclusions. This is why many public adjusters
who get involved in a claim after the initial inspection will request another
inspection once they have documented the claim and then meet the adjuster
onsite to review the details of the inspection to represent the best interests of
the client. If there is anything suspicious about your claim, information is
missing, it is considered complicated or something seems out of the ordinary,
the insurance company claims department might also decide to re-inspect the
property, call in engineers or send it to an investigative unit that looks for
insurance fraud. This and the mountain of claims that get filed when there is a
serious storm event like the wind and flood damage from Hurricane Irma is
what can cause much of the delays that occur processing your claim.​ When
there are a huge number of claims, the deadline may force some to make a
rough first estimate. The first check you get from your insurance company is
often an advance. If you're offered an on-the-spot settlement, you can accept
the check right away. Later on, if you find other damage, you can “reopen" the
claim and file for an additional amount. Most policies require claims to be filed
within one year from the date of the disaster.
The choice of repair firms is yours. If your home was adequately
insured, you won't have to settle for anything less than you had before the
disaster. Be sure the contractor is giving you the same quality materials. Don't
get permanent repairs done until after the adjuster has approved the price. If
you've received bids, show them to the adjuster. If the adjuster agrees with
one of your bids, then the repair process can begin. If the bids are too high,
ask the adjuster to negotiate a better price with the contractor. Adjusters may
also recommend firms that they have worked with before. Some insurance
companies even guarantee the work of firms they recommend, but such
programs are not available everywhere. Make sure contractors get the proper
building permits.
If you can't reach an agreement with your insurance company: If you
and the insurer’s adjuster can't agree on a settlement amount, contact your
agent or your insurance company's claim department manager. Make sure
you have figures to back up your claim for more money. If you and your
insurance company still disagree, your policy allows for an independent
appraisal of the loss. In this case, both you and your insurance company hire
independent appraisers who choose a mediator. The decision of any two of

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