You have some damage to your home. Who is going to pay to get it fixed? With a mortgage and insurance payment, not to mention other bills, you simply do not have enough. Wait. What was one of those bills you pay? Insurance? Well, maybe they should be the ones to foot the bill. Afterall you are paying for them. But how?
One of the worst things when dealing with damage to your home is dealing with the insurance company. According to Maxwell Building Services (a restoration company in Oakland County, Michigan), a lot of times you will be told that what you are asking to be repaired is not covered by your insurance. A lot of people face getting their homeowners insurance canceled when going through the process. There are ways to get them to pay for it. Let’s go over a few basic things.
You read it right! Sometimes insurance companies will write exclusions in the policy. This makes things difficult. A lot of times people do not see that fine print or even understand what some of the insurance policies say. They do have a lot of legal terms in them that only someone who studies law may understand.
All in all, it is the agreement you signed. If what you are looking into getting paid to get fixed is listed under the exclusions then you may be stuck with the bill or the damage. A lawyer can help with this issue too.
There is one major reason that homeowners get denied for payment even when it is not under any exclusions in the policy. It is the wait. You have a specific amount of time that you should call the insurance company to report damage. The moment that you notice any damage is when you need to call the insurance company. Waiting can result in more damage. Insurance companies do not cover after a period of time has lapsed.
One very important step to take when damage has been done to your home is to record it. After reporting to the insurance company you need to make sure you take photos of everything. These can be very helpful in the end. If you can show the damage especially after a fire or flood while it is fresh, the better chances you have.
A lot of negotiating goes into getting damage paid for by the insurance company. You should definitely be prepared to negotiate. Assess what you will need and how much it will cost if you plan on doing the repair yourself. If you are not the handy type then pay for an inspector to come out and give you a price. Then you will know what you need to get the damage fixed.
Make sure that you are not underpricing your damage repairs. You don’t want to come up short. Once paid out, you can’t go back for more money. Once the claim is processed it will not be revisited. You can find more information at newliferestoration.net/homeowner.
A public adjuster is basically someone who will handle the insurance company for you. They work with the person who has the insurance and for that person. So, you can consider a public adjuster on your side. Which is nice. They know how all the insurance stuff works and will do their best to get yo exactly what you need.
A public adjuster is hired and normally get paid a percentage rate. This can vary from 5% all the way up to 15%. You can find more information on what a public adjuster is and does at www.iii.org.
The issue with insurance companies can vary depending on the situation. It is difficult and frustrating for both parties. The homeowner must have insurance on their home due to their mortgage company. On another, not insurance companies deal a lot with fraudulent claims.
The best solution is to always document and report. This ensures that what you are saying is valid. You have your proof. If you need to fix your home because it is your only means of shelter, like most cases, keep the receipts. You don’t have to wait for the insurance company in order to be reimbursed.
Before You Go!
As frustrating as everything is when your home is in disarray be patient. If you have done all the things you were supposed to do and are waiting for a reply from the insurance company, wait patiently. It is good to call back every couple of days. That doesn’t mean you are being impatient. You are just checking in. Everything will work out.
If you feel like you are not getting the help you need or deserve, you may want to check into a lawyer. Hope all this helps. Check out this informational video at the link.
