Why does it seem like some insurance companies are right on their tippy-toes when it comes to dealing with your homeowners insurance claims while other leave you tapping your watches for months? Most insurance companies are really good about getting your claims processed in a reasonable amount of time (it’s what they do, after all) but others seem to take for-ev-er. Here’s a quick look at the ins and outs of filing your homeowners insurance claims and what to do when your insurer just isn’t holding up their end of the bargain.
FILING AN INSURANCE CLAIM
Leading experts agree that you should always file your insurance claim as quickly as possible after the incident. The sooner you contact your insurance agent the sooner they’re going to be able to get your claim processed, which means you’re going to be back on your feet that much faster. If you wait, however, you run the risk of having to jump through hoops to have your claim dealt with or worse, having it be denied altogether.
When you contact your homeowners insurance agent they should be able to advise you as to what you need to do to get the situation taken care of. Some will want to send a claims agent out to take a peek while others will simply refer you to a trusted contractor. Working with contractors tends to be much, much easier than having to wait around on a claims adjustor, since they can usually tell you what will and will not be covered by your insurance and get the ball rolling as soon as you give the a-ok.
PAYING YOUR CLAIMS
Once you’ve contacted your insurance company they have a certain number of days within which to acknowledge and deal with your claims. You should be able to look in your state’s insurance guidelines, available through your local Bureau of Insurance or State Insurance Department, to see what your state’s guidelines are. You should also be able to sneak a peek at your homeowners insurance policy. Most insurance companies include guidelines regarding dealing with insurance claims with their original policy, and if you check those out you should find that your timelines were all laid out before you signed on the dotted line.
If your insurer isn’t holding up their end of the bargain regarding your homeowners insurance claims, pick up the phone and call your insurance agent. While we would all love to believe that our insurance companies are corporate giants not vulnerable to human error, the bottom line is that there are people sitting behind those computers and they make mistakes like the rest of us. When you’re dealing with hundreds of claims a day it’s easy for one or two to slip through the cracks. If this happens you should get a heartfelt apology and the matter dealt within the next 24 hours.
If calling your insurance agent doesn’t get the job done and too much time has gone by you may need to call in legal assistance. Most lawyers don’t even have to waste a sheet of company stationary to get the matter taken care of, but if you do find yourself going to court a good insurance attorney will be able to point out the terms of your insurance agreement and get your homeowners insurance claims taken care of and your life back to normal as quickly as possible.
Anthony M. Peck is the Senior Developer, Software Project Manager and Director of Business Development for QuoteScout.com. For more information on your homeowners insurance claims, visit them on the web at http://www.QuoteScout.com.