Homeowners and Property Insurance Claim Guides
Homeowners insurance is a broad term that applies to insurance you buy to cover your dwelling and the possessions you have there. It can be obtained whether you live in a home you own, or in a rented apartment or house. It is often referred to as home insurance or house insurance. When damage or loss occurs to your home or possessions, you may need to file a homeowners insurance claim. Our goal here is to help you understand the process.
Homeowners Insurance Claims Definition: A homeowners insurance claim is a formal application you make to have your insurance company for benefits provided in your policy.
A homeowners insurance claim may take many forms. Here are common occurrences that lead to filing a homeowners insurance claim.
When to File a Homeowners Insurance Claim
There are several times it may be necessary to file a homeowners insurance claim. When your home is seriously damaged, you should file a claim. Common causes of damage include: wind, rain, hail, lightning, water from broken plumbing, fire, smoke, power outages/surges, or vandalism. Your possessions are covered as well under most homeowners policies, including renters insurance. If possessions are damaged or destroyed during the events that also damage your home, these items should be included in the claim. When valuable items are stolen, or in many cases if you lose them, you may also be eligible to file a claim.
When to Hire an Attorney
In most cases, the homeowners insurance company will respond to your filed claim fairly and professionally, meeting their obligations to pay for the repairs to damaged property and the replacement of lost or stolen property. It is in their best interest to maintain a reputation of being cooperative and fair. Therefore, in most cases, there is no need to hire an attorney.
The time to contact and possibly hire an attorney is when your insurance company denies a legitimate claim, denies any appeal you make, and tells you there is nothing more they can do. In other words, when you’ve exhausted the normal channels of filing a claim and filing an appeal to a denied claim, your only recourse might be to hire an attorney.
How to Respond to Denied Claims
Sometimes claims that you believe are legitimate are denied by the home insurance company. The most common reasons are the following: The damage was caused by an event that is not covered in the policy such as flooding or an earthquake; The amount of the claim exceeds the coverages stated in the policy; the value of the property or cost of the repairs is disputed; the homeowners insurance company believes the claim is fraudulent.
If your claim is denied, here are steps to consider.
- Write a formal appeal to the insurance company main address. State the facts of what happened and why you believe your claim is legitimate. Ask the company to reconsider and to cover the cost of repairs and/or replacement.
- If this is denied, consider contacting your state’s office on insurance. One of their purposes is to protect homeowners from unfair claims denials.
- Consider contacting an attorney that specializes in insurance disputes. These are sometimes called “Bad Faith” attorneys because they respond when an insurance company has acted in bad faith by not living up to the terms of the policy, which is a binding contract. The attorney may be able to resolve the dispute short of filing a lawsuit, but that isn’t always possible and you may have to sue for damages.
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