What Kind of Help Do You Need with an Insurance Claim?

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An accident or natural disaster has damaged your home. Whether it's flooding, a fire that started in the kitchen, or a wildfire that damaged or destroyed your home, now you need to make an insurance claim.

Your insurance coverage should be enough to help you rebuild, replace lost belongings, and cover the additional expenses you'll face for new increased costs associated with shelter, food, and transportation while you're out of your home. But your insurer acts on the advice of their own adjuster, and their person in the field may not agree with you about the scope of damage or proof necessary for your claim.

One of the smartest things you can do is get help with home insurance claims from an insurance lawyer or public adjuster. There are several ways they can help you improve your insurance claim and get the money you need to start rebuilding.

#1 Avoiding Mistakes with Your Insurance Claim

There are a few mistakes made as early as filing the claim that can harm your case or even jeopardize your eventual settlement. An insurance lawyer can provide guidance and make sure you avoid them from the beginning.

Common mistakes include failing to notify your insurer quickly, not documenting lost belongings or additional living expenses, or blindly accepting your insurer's first offer.

#2 Navigating an Advance

Additional Living Expenses are covered by your home insurance policy. This includes costs such as shelter, food, and transportation that are above what you would normally spend on these things, as a direct cause of having to move out of your damaged house.

These are expenses that come up right away, whether you have the money to cover them or not. An insurance lawyer can help you request an advance that will later come out of your final insurance settlement. An advance will help you stay out of debt if you don't have the money to cover immediate expenses.

#3 Creating Your Proof of Loss Statement

A proof of loss statement is a thorough documentation of personal belongings lost in a fire. The list of personal belongings that are eligible is extensive and goes beyond obvious things like electronics, clothing, and furniture. It can also include food, jewelry, fine art, media collections (books, records, DVDs, video games), etc. Each of these categories might have their own limits in your policy, which an insurance lawyer can help you understand.

They can also help you with tasks like submitting a provisional proof of loss statement. You may want to submit a provisional document because you want to speed up the claims process, but you may not have remembered everything you will eventually need to replace. A professional can make sure you go through the process correctly.

#4 Negotiations with the Adjuster

Sometimes the insurer makes confounding demands. For example, their adjuster may require you to provide receipts to prove the value of lost contents, but your home has been deemed a total loss and there is no way that paper receipts survived.

An insurance lawyer or public adjuster will push back against unreasonable demands like these, while helping you find other avenues to support your claims.

#5 Ensuring You Get Appropriate Structural Compensation

The insurance company's adjuster has a lot of power. For example, they assess the extent of the damage of your home and report their findings back to the insurer, who will rely on those conclusions when considering a potential settlement. They may use a contractor to estimate the full costs of the damage, but they can, for example, say whether your home is a complete loss or only suffered partial damage on their own. That can create a large difference in opinion with regards to how much compensation should be set aside or offered for Structure / Dwelling repairs and rebuilding.

#6 Going to Dispute Resolution

Dispute resolution is a last resort for insurance claims, but if you cannot see eye to eye with your insurer, it may be necessary. If you go this route, you will absolutely need the help of a professional.

If you disagree with your insurer and you have a significant claim, it's time to consult with an insurance lawyer. Get their help to make sure you have the money you need to rebuild.