The insurance industry is an essential service provided to most of the population. The industry serves to help you recover from incidents you go through that could set you back financially should you handle them independently.
An insurance company, also known as the insurer, will offer you, the insured, an insurance policy. The insurance policy covers many risks, from fire to storm damage to car accidents. Should you encounter any of these events, the insurer will compensate you by covering the damage. However, you must file a claim to seek compensation.
Suppose you experience storm-based roof damage. How should you go about the filing process? Read on to find out the aspects you shouldn’t forget for a successful process.
1. Understand Your Insurance Policy
The first step you should take before filing an insurance claim is to review your insurance policy. You want to ensure you have solid ground to file for one. You might take all measures and invest your resources in filing a claim only for the provider to inform you that you aren’t liable for compensation. Besides the frustration, you’ll waste your resources.
Therefore, review your policy. Check if the insurer covers roof damage due to storms. If so, what are the limitations of their obligations? What are your obligations under the policy? Also, you want to ensure you’ve religiously paid your premium according to the policy. Most insurance companies will raise issues about compensation if you’ve not stuck to the premium payments.
Once you’re sure you’re eligible for compensation, proceed to file the claim.
2. Provide Enough Evidence
For an insurance provider to compensate you for the occurrence of an insured risk, you have to prove your claim. Previous damage to your roof before the storm might bring about issues. You must show them without reasonable doubt that the storm is what damaged your roof. Your neighbors could be of help in such a situation. They’ve seen your roof over the years, including its state before the storm. They can act as witnesses as you prove your claim.
It’d also help to take photos of the damage, both up-close and an overview. Please don’t leave out any damage, whether minor or significant. Add these items to your picture portfolio if the roof caved into your home and damaged household items. Videos should also suffice.
If you’re worried about missing out on some damage, seek the services of a company that’ll guide you on insurance claim storm damage roof how to get a check. Since performing an assessment is part of their Service Level Agreement (SLA,) they’re better placed to help you assess the damage to add it to your evidence.
3. Follow The Right Procedure
Filing a claim is often a lengthy process. On the other hand, your insurance provider won’t compensate you just because you filed a storm-damage roof insurance claim. It’s good to point out that an insurance company is like any other business whose bottom line is to make profits. They’ll only earn profits if there are few claims. As a result, even if you’ve been paying your premiums, they’ll still search for any justification to deny your claim.
One of the ways they may refute your claim is by examining how you have handled it since the incident occurred. Therefore, you must be cautious throughout this procedure. Follow the correct method without making any mistakes. You should comply if you are required to report the occurrence within a certain timeframe. Please provide the necessary documentation and answer their queries in depth. Most insurance companies require you to notify them before filing a claim. This is something that most policyholders overlook; don’t be one of them if you want to file a successful insurance claim.
The insurance company will have no grounds to counter your claim once you follow the proper procedure.
4. Hire A Claims Adjuster
A claims adjuster is a professional who assesses insurance claims to check the insurance company’s liability. There’s a high probability that your insurance provider has a public adjuster. It’s also best to hire one of your own.
The adjuster will take you through the process, giving you professional advice. They’ll gather all the facts of the incident.
In this instance, you will not deal with your insurance company. The claims adjuster will interact with the company and guarantee that your rights are not violated. They will negotiate with the company to ensure you receive fair compensation. In no circumstances shall you be paid less than you deserve.
5. Keep Records
As previously stated, filing a claim for storm damage insurance can be complex, and even if you believe you’ve done everything correctly, many things can go wrong. This discussion has also proven that the insurance company is a business that seeks to pay the lowest possible compensation. You should not be surprised if an insurance company asserts that you did not submit certain documents or did so after the deadline.
To contest such claims, retain records of your interactions with the insurance company from the time the risk occurred. Then make copies of your evidence and other documents once you’ve submitted them. You should also keep a record of every phone call, email, or message you send to the company. Additionally, note the names of any insurance agents you speak with during this process. Finally, make a note of the date and time of these incidents.
With such records, it’d be difficult for the insurance company to deny any activity.
Conclusion
Filing for a storm-damage roof insurance claim is an easy process. However, a lot could go wrong during this process, making your efforts fruitless. Therefore, you must exercise caution while filing an insurance claim. This topic has provided advice for filing a successful home insurance claim. Follow the advice, and you will receive the appropriate compensation you deserve.
