You have always been diligent about paying your monthly premiums on your home insurance. Therefore you assume that if there is a disaster, the insurance company will help pay for repairs to get your home back in the condition that it was in before the disaster. In an ideal world, that would be precisely how it works. Sometimes, the process of filing an insurance claim can be more difficult and stressful than you would think. Mostly, what the insurance company wants is to pay out as little as they can to you. That might seem a little evil, but you must remember that they are a business. They have stockholders they have to report to, and their main job is to make money for those stockholders. So you will need to make extra sure everything is in order with your claim, or you might end up getting short-changed in the end.
Know The Specifics of Your Policy
The insurance policy is more or less a contract between you and your insurance company that spells out what they will cover. If you don’t know all the things that are covered, you can’t include them in your claim and you will end up eating that loss. Also, you don’t want to end up trying to claim things that aren’t actually covered by your policy.
Be Patient
The insurance company might be quick to offer you a small payout. They are hoping that you aren’t actually aware of the claims that you are entitled to. They also might be hoping that you will be more prone to accepting a smaller quick payout if you are in need and could really use it at the moment. Don’t be tempted! If they offer you money right away, chances are they are low-balling you. Hang in there and get what you are entitled to.
Get a Second Opinion
The insurance adjuster that is sent out by the insurance company is not on your side. They work for the insurance company, and their job is to look out for the company’s best interest. Going by what the insurance company’s adjuster says is not the best idea. That would be like if you were being sued and instead of hiring your own lawyer, you just showed up in court and went by what the plaintiff’s lawyer said. You should hire a public insurance adjuster to represent you for your claim. They can prepare the claim for you, present it to the insurance company, and you will have a lot less headaches.
