New Insurance Claims
It is common for property owners to submit an insurance claim and then wait and see what happens with it. That’s because most property owners trust that their insurance company will do the right thing and pay their legitimate claim. However, from our experience, it is important that you get your own representation as early as possible in the insurance claims process. Providing additional insights on this is our blog article 3 Reasons Why You Should Have Representation for New Property Insurance Claims. Don’t wait until the insurance company underpays or denies your claim. By then you may have lost 90 days in getting your property back in order.
The Insurance Information Institute states in its 2016 Consumer Insurance Survey Report, “Ultimately, homeowners insurance policies are detailed, complex legal contracts. While homeowners understand many components of their insurance, every policy has a range of stipulations and exclusions that are sometimes overlooked.”
As a policyholder you have little to lose by having someone on your side. The insurance companies have their own lawyers, why shouldn’t you? We know the intricacies of complicated insurance policies and the claims process. In filing a claim, you should know that you have certain rights, according to the Florida Department of Financial Services Division of Consumer Services. Read the Homeowner Claims Bill of Rights to learn if your rights have been violated by the insurance company.
Underpaid Insurance Claims
So your insurance company acknowledged your claim but underpaid it? Unfortunately this happens too often. It is common that clients come to us very frustrated when their insurance company pays less than what is fair. After a claim is filed your insurance company will send out its own adjuster to investigate. Sometimes this adjuster is experienced and sometimes they are new to the role. In either case, they may not properly value your damage, they may overlook some of your damage, or they may simply value your damage at the absolute lowest replacement cost they think they can get away with. After all, they work for the insurance company. For more information, read our article Do You Know What Your Claim is Really Worth? Should You Question the Insurance Company’s Damage Estimate? (Hint, the answer is yes!).
You will need an objective opinion of your damage. Our adjusters work throughout the entire state of Florida. Our entire team is on your side so you can rest assured they are meticulous in finding and documenting all of your insurance claim damage. Contact us if you want a fair estimate of your damage. We’ll work hard to get you the settlement you deserve. Read some of our client settlements and testimonials to see how we’ve helped others.
Denied Insurance Claims
If your insurance company denied your claim, it’s possible that the claim simply wasn’t covered by your policy. However, in our experience, many denied claims should actually be paid. Once your insurance company denies your claim they consider it a closed case. But you shouldn’t. Read our blog article, How to Get From ‘Denied’ to ‘Paid’ with Your Insurance Company for reasons why you should not give up on a denied claim.
We have helped numerous clients get the fair settlement they deserved. For example, one client had a leak under a kitchen sink. The insurance company denied the claim until we got involved. We applied our six step insurance claims process and were able to recover $15,000 for our client. Another client had his business’ air conditioning units vandalized. The insurance company denied the claim, but we were able to recover $25,000. See more insurance claim settlements.
Hurricane Irma insurance claim underpaid or denied?
As of June 2018 approximately 32% of claims filed resulting from Hurricane Irma property damage were closed and not paid by insurance companies, according to the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation. Florida Professional Law Group continues to work with clients whose Hurricane Irma insurance claim was denied or underpaid. For example, one of our clients experienced damage to his home in the Florida Keys. His insurance company estimated the loss at $15,000 which was less than his deductible. The client got concerned and called Florida Professional Law Group. We were able to recover a settlement of $115,000 so the client could fix his damages.
Hurricane Michael insurance claim underpaid or denied?
As of April 26, 2019, more than 146,000 property insurance claims have been filed by insureds. Total estimated insured losses exceed $6.2B. The vast majority of insurance claims, 60%, are from Bay County property owners. Bay County is home to Mexico City Beach, which was nearly leveled. Surrounding cities like Panama City, Lynn Haven, and Callaway also greatly suffered from the winds and water brought by Hurricane Michael. More than 19,000 claims were closed and not paid by the insurance companies. Read our article, Status of Hurricane Michael Insurance Claims.
