The ultimate goal of insurance claim help is to determine the value of the loss and to collect all of the money owed to the claimant by the insurance company. It is the homeowner’s job to determine the total amount of the loss. It is the insurance company’s job to determine how much of the loss they will pay. The difference between the two amounts will be negotiated between the homeowner and the “adjuster”, the person representing the insurance company. In reality, the adjuster is a “negotiator” and the insurance settlement process is a “negotiation.”
How to Determine the Loss?
Most homeowners instinctively want to rely on the insurance company to help value their loss. The problem is if the homeowner lets the insurance company determine their loss, the results will always be in the Insurance Company’s favor. the Insurance Claim Help Offered by the Insurance Company always seems to fall short. But how does a homeowner determine a loss? As much documentation as the homeowner can muster, which includes:
- Appropriate comfortable living quarters (and collect receipts and/or estimates)
- Homeowner’s own repair/replacement estimates for all damaged and lost property and/or Scope of Loss for their home.
- Homeowner’s own personal property list and work on it consistently until it is complete.
- Submission of “partial list” is acceptable and keeps the process moving.
- RED FLAG – The adjuster tries to encourage the homeowner to never stop at policy limits but to exhaust their memory.
Initial Tasks – The homeowner should do the following:
- Start a claim diary. Real pain for most people but at least collect and save receipts in a box.
- Get a copy of their entire policy. Ask for a copy in writing. May need to be persistent.
- Get names and contact info for their adjuster, his boss and someone in charge of them at the main office.
- Protect their property from further damage and take every reasonable step to make sure that more damage does not occur to their property or that they aren’t exposed to a liability claim by not protecting their property from new dangers. (For example: cover holes, install fencing, consider debris flow, etc.)
The Homeowner’s First Recovery Goals
The first insurance-related goals for the homeowner should be as follows:
- Read and understand their insurance policy, duties and rights as much as possible.
- Obtain the dwelling estimate or Scope of Loss prepared by the insurance company.
- Hire a Public Adjuster to assist in obtaining their own Scope of Loss or repair/replacement estimates for all coverage’s.
- Obtain policy limits. The homeowner should be encouraged to take the money the insurance company has paid unless a release is required.
- The mortgage company is always included as a payee on the dwelling and real property checks
As you can see there are a lot of tasks to perform, and things to keep track of. Most people are busy working as well as dealing with the loss. We are here to do the heavy lifting and take up all the tasks required to assist in putting your property back to pre-loss condition or better.
Public Adjuster Consultation & Insurance Claim Help – Call us Now! 404-445-5671
