Navigating The Insurance Claim Maze

HOLLYWOOD, Fla. - Dec. 21, 2017 - PRLog -- Policyholders pay insurance premiums expecting to be protected if a problem arises. Many people with hurricane damage are disillusioned with how their insurance claims are being handled.

Marc Ben-Ezra, Managing Attorney at Florida Professional Law Group, an insurance law firm has some tips to help navigate the insurance maze.

1.       Insurance company adjusters and your own experts. An insurance company may use its own experts to examine the property and estimate damages. This can be helpful or harmful. For example, on a roof damage claim, an engineer sent by the insurer could suggest that the property's roof was old, decayed or damaged before the storm and the insurer could use that opinion to reduce or deny payment on a property owner's roof. The property owner can have his or her own experts examine the property and offer contrary opinions to improve their claim.

2.       Delayed payments. When valid insurance claims are delayed, property owners experience inconveniences, which can result in postponing much needed repairs. Insurance companies may be slow due to the volume of storm claims. There are also numerous maneuvers that insurers may use to delay payments such as; requesting needless documents before processing your claim, stretching the investigation time on your claim without valid reasons for the delay. When insurers delay payment, they also retain their money for a longer period benefitting from the interest earned. Insurance laws provide timelines for insurance claim payments. An insurance provider that is not in compliance with insurance laws may be found to be acting in bad faith.

3.       Denials and low offers. Insurers have countless ways to pay less for valid claims. They may use defective outdated pricing lists that don't account for soaring construction or contractor pricing. They may use unreliable depreciation models and cost structures that don't reflect the accurate age, life and use of items in your property.  If your insurance company makes an unacceptable payment on your claim, you don't have to accept their offer as final. Accept the check but don't sign a release. While an insurance company is there to assist you, it is also in business to make money and may try to reduce costs when paying your claim by using the terms of your policy to deny responsibility for the claim. Sometimes this decision is a mistake. Other times, the policy and law could be interpreted differently. Don't take "NO" as a final answer.

4.      What to say. Although the insurance company's adjuster may be friendly, he or she is not your friend. A professional knows things that you may not. The insurer deals with claims every day and has plenty of its own attorneys. Most people have limited experience with insurance claims and "don't know what they don't know." To get the best results for your claim, discussions with the insurer's representatives should be handled very carefully.

     For more information on navigating the Insurance Claim maze, visit www.FLPLG.com or call Florida Professional Law Group at 954-284-0900.