Insurance Claims – 6 easy steps
Posted on July 11th, 2011
When the public finds themselves in a situation in which they have experienced property damage the claim process is usually unavoidable. The question is, will this unavoidable state of affairs be difficult or proceed smoothly? When a Public adjuster is involved the percentage a claims that will result in denial is lowered and the recovery of the property owners is typically better.
There are several elements to each claim that aid in this process:
1. Assessing Loss
2. Claim Prep Work
3. Organizing Documents
4. Coordinating with Insurance Company
5. Chutes and Ladders
6. Settlement
1. Assessing Loss can be one of the most important parts of getting your claim started. When you work with a Public Adjuster, this adjuster will get you start quickly and move fast to assess the situation. Relying on the insurance company to assess your loss can take more time then necessary and the insurance company has their interest at stake. You are better off with a Public Adjuster on your side.
2. The paperwork, order of filing, various departments, and steps for preparing the claim can be a frustrating process. A Public Adjuster handles all the prep work for you. This beats you having to review your policy, and worry about which documents are needed and who to contact.
3. The documents are vital to a successful claim, and Public Adjusters know exactly how to take care of this entire process. One of the most important factors to organizing your insurance claim docs is connecting the information from assessing the loss. The language used and the type of loss being reported can lead to a lot of mistakes if a professional is not assisting in the process. Public Adjusters have the experience and systems in place to make sure this step is analyzed and carefully executed.
4. You insurance company must protect itself from fraudulent and excessive claims. Therefore if they have a person on the other line systematically questioning you and trying to get certain bits of information, you should hire a Public Adjuster that knows exactly how to coordinate with your insurance company during your property insurance claim process.
5. The are many obstacles that are placed in front of a claim and these roadblocks can commonly cause a property owner to get discouraged and abandon the claim. This is an exact calculated outcome and a certain percentage of claims end here. This can be a consuming process and hold times can be long – a Public Adjuster has a team of professionals ready to maneuver around these chutes and ladders. It’s all in a days work.
6. The goal is not only to settle the claim, but to make sure that you get what you deserve. For many property owners their first insurance claim can be their last, and this is a one time event. Therefore, a settlement amount might not be complete; however, the property owner is satisfied. You are entitled to what you deserve and a Public Adjuster is around claims morning and night – Public Adjusters know what is a fair settlement and what you deserve.
When you contact Stellar Adjusting Services these are just a sample of steps that are vital and necessary to a successful insurance claim. At Stellar Adjusting Services we provide excellent communication and get results. Hiring a Public Adjuster is an opportunity to be better situated to receiving recovery and saving your own aggravation.
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Steps to Filing an Insurance Claim
Posted on July 7th, 2010
The process of filing an insurance claim can be very confusing, especially during the first time you file a claim. We’ve done our best to layout a few essential steps in the Florida insurance claim process – read more steps in filing an insurance claim in Florida. These steps are very relevant to those in many areas around South Florida – this includes Boca Raton and West Palm Beach. The Boca Raton and West Palm Beach communities have been searching online for public adjusters in Boca Raton or public adjusters in West Palm Beach. Really the focus should be on a public adjuster that understands the South Florida communities and insurance claim process regardless of the location the resident is filing their claim. This is true for homeowners in the surrounding Dade and Broward areas. Hope the links and information is helpful to all of our readers.
Here’s a few useful links to keep handy and research for yourself:
Florida Department of Financial Services: www.fldfs.com
Florida Office of Insurance Regulation: www.floir.com
Florida Market Assistance Program (can help people find insurance companies): www.fmap.org
Consumer Federation of America: www.consumerfed.org
National Association of Insurance Commissioners (has a link to help people look up complaints/financial data on their insurer): www.naic.org
Insurance Information Institute: www.iii.org
These links and others can also be found on the Sun Sentinel website. They have a great story gallery on the Florida homeowner insurance crisis. We’re excited about bringing these resources to our readership. It’s important that consumers / homeowners understand how to navigate the insurance claim process in Florida. We recommend that time be spent to learn about the insurance claim process before a disaster hits – it’s a lot easier and there’s time to get your questions answered.
Florida Insurance Claim Process:
STEP 1: PRE-LOSS PREPARATION
Ironically, the claims process begins long before the actual loss. In order to get properly and timely compensated in the event of an Insurance Claim, it is important to take the following precautionary steps: have a copy of your ENTIRE policy readily available, understand the types and amounts of coverage you have, film a video and take numerous pictures of the interior and exterior of your home and an inventory list of all of the items of personal property that you have in your home. Remember; keep this list, video and pictures outside of your home.
STEP 2: LOSS MITIGATION & DAMAGE CONTROL
One a loss occurs, whether it is water damage, fire, flooding, hurricane, vandalism or otherwise; you should make every effort to mitigate damages and salvage whatever you can. This includes, but is not limited to, using tarps, create ventilation, contact remediation companies and safeguarding your valuables.
STEP 3: CONTACT A PUBLIC ADJUSTER
Contact Your Public Adjuster to facilitate with the claims filing and handling processes. At some point, you will need to provide your adjuster with all of the above listed documentation so that the claim can be handled professionally and settled in a timely manner.
STEP 4: FILING THE CLAIM
Although it is always recommended to hire a Public Adjuster, many people do not. If a Public Adjuster is involved, it is strongly recommended that the Public Adjuster actually call in the claim information. The information you will be asked when filing the claim will include: Type of Loss, Date of Loss, Loss Location and questions regarding what you have done since the loss to mitigate damages. It is important not to provide too much detail or information in the form of an opinion as whatever you state can be used against you. There are many policy exclusions and limitations that Insured’s are not familiar with and your statements are checked against those exclusions and limitations so that the Insurance Company can deny or limit coverage.
STEP 5: THE PROPERTY INSPECTION
Typically, within 72 hours of the loss, the Insurance Company will send out an “independent adjuster” to evaluate the damages, assess coverage and make recommendations to the Insurance Company. The only thing “independent” about these adjusters is their title. They are hired by the Insurance Company to represent the interests of the Insurance Company – they are not there to advocate for you. This is primarily why you need a Public Adjuster – to represent your interests and advocate for you.
At this inspection, the adjuster will ask many questions, look at the damage, take measurements and photographs and write up some notes to include in his estimate. DO NOT assume that just because he is doing these things the claim will be paid. Usually, the adjuster has no authority and is simply there to gather facts and information for the Insurance Company so that they can determine coverage. Normally, they use this information to claim some exclusion such as long term damage or wear and tear. Be very careful what you do and say with this independent adjuster.
more steps - Florida insurance claim process
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