Experiencing property damage of any kind is quite a dreadful ordeal, whatever the circumstances may be. It takes a lot of time, effort, and money to restore your home back to pre loss condition, not to mention the hassle and headaches involved in the process.
According to the statistics, the most common type of homeowners’ insurance claims are insurance claims for water damage. This comes as no surprise, considering the fact that water damage is the most common type of property damage to occur. So, to make sure you’ll be able to take appropriate measures and make informed decisions in the unfortunate event of water damage to your property, you need to get familiar with the water damage insurance claim process and learn how to file your claim.
Mitigate The Damage
Whether your home has been covered by two inches of water because of a burst water line or your kitchen sink is leaking the first thing to do is stop the damage from getting worse this could include boarding up any broken doors or windows, tarp holes in the roof, turn off the water supply, remove excessive water, etc.
This is where a water damage public adjuster can help. A public adjuster is your claim advocate to ensure you get paid the full and fair amount for your claim.
Report The Claim
Insurance carriers want to be informed of the loss as soon as possible and typically within 14 days of the loss.
If you had damage to your home but you chose to repair it or you filed a claim, fixed the issue and now it is leaking again don’t worry its not to late to file or even reopen a claim. A public adjuster can help yo with a late reported claim.
Have The Damage Inspected
Your Insurance carrier reserves the right to inspect any and all damages to your home. If you are going to have claim representation it is best to have them their for this initial inspection.
Make sure to present all you documentation of the loss to the adjuster or your claim representative. This includes any repair invoices you may have as well as any pictures and videos of the loss.
Settle Your Water Damage Insurance Claim
Your insurance carrier has 90 days to make a coverage determination meaning you will know where your claim is heading within three months. It is important to know that the insurance company will only pay for household materials of the same kind and quality as the damaged ones. If you choose to upgrade the flooring, the insulation, or anything else in your property you will have to pay the extra costs incurred out of pocket.
If you are unhappy with the amount your insurance carrier is valuing your damages at a professional water damage public adjuster can help recover the full amount you need to bring your home back to pre loss condition.
The question you need to ask yourself is. Would i represent myself in court? Would i file my taxes on my own? Would i apply for a mortgage by myself?
If the answer is NO you should really think about hiring proper representation when filing an insurance claim, don’t go up against a huge corporation with the resources on their side alone.