Almost everyone who has suffered damages to their property as a result of a fire insurance claim makes costly mistakes during and after the settlement... And, here it is; Most policyholders simply rely on their insurance company to evaluate the entire claim. This can be the most costly mistake anyone could ever make in their entire life.
It's bad enough to have your property destroyed by fire, but relying on someone else to visit your property, inspect it, provide a proper value, and then trust that they got it all correct... Is Simply I N S A N E ! Yet, policyholders allow this to happen all across the country, day-in and day-out. For most people it's human nature to count their "change" at the grocery store or diligently review their dinner bill to be sure the waiter didn't charge them for items they did not order. We've all done it. We go out of our way to count and keep track of our chump change. Yet, when it comes to tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of dollars from a fire insurance claim, we rely on the insurance company without question.
No one else comes close to knowing your property like you do. With all that is needed to properly prepare and configure the damages associated with a fire insurance claim, almost in all instances, items are missed and forgotten during the claims process. Especially if this is completed by someone other than you. The insurance adjusters don't know all there is to know about your building, your personal property, or the quality of your contents ( clothing, furniture, etc. ) like you do. How could another person possibly be as accurate as you when calculating such items? Further, simply because the insurance adjuster visits the property for an inspection, in no way shape or form means that they are a professional contractor, builder, or qualified and certified in fire and water damage restoration and evaluation.
With the review of thousands of closed claims, we have found that in most cases, both insurance companies and policyholders unknowingly miss damages that are hidden from the naked eye. In almost all instances; it is a good idea to have a professional review your fire damage claim. Preferably a fire insurance claims appraiser, consultant, or fire consulting firm.
Too often policyholders are under the impression that if they deposit a check received from the insurance company into their bank account - the claim is settled and closed. This could not be any further from the truth. The fact are; that in most states policyholders have 3-years to make claims from the time the damages occurred. Claimants can even ADD items to an existing claim. So, the review of claims to be sure you have been fully compensated can occur, during the process of an existing claim or even after the claim has been closed and settled. More money from your claim is also obtainable even if your property or building has been removed, torn down, or demolished.
It's true, even if claims have been settled and all insurance proceeds have been deposited, or the building has been torn down and removed, policyholders can recover more insurance proceeds if the damages were missed or not addressed properly. In most cases, tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands of more dollars are recovered... AFTER the insurance company has closed the claim. Even policyholders that believe they have received a fair settlement... they usually have not.
However, it's truly up to the policyholders to do their part and protect themselves. Below are a few tips and ideas to assist policyholders with the review of their fire insurance claims. There are tips for those in the middle of the claim process - as well as tips for claims that have been closed some time ago.
1. During Claim Process -
1. Document Building Damage: Take time to inspect, photograph, and document the fire damages yourself. Take photos of all rooms in the building. Take overview photos of the room as well as close-up photos of the ceilings, walls, floors, windows, doors, etc. of each room as well. Work around the building to the left (clock wise). Then, before entering the next room - take an overview photo. This will be the easiest way to organize the photos for each room. Here's an example; Take overview photo of the kitchen, then work your photos from the ceiling to the floor. Take overview photo of ceiling, then zoom in on photos of the ceiling. Continue with overview photos of each wall, then close-up photos of damages on walls. Continue this process with windows, doors, and finally the floor. When you enter the next rom, hall or closet, the first photo is an overview, and so on. (Do not take any photos or close-ups of any furniture or clothing yet, just the rooms.)
1. For Closed Claims -
1. Obtain Documents For Building: Your insurance adjuster had taken photos of the property during their inspection(s). If you do not have any photos yourself, or if you only have minimal photos - you should request a copy of all photos that were taken by the insurance adjuster. You will want to also request the copy of the adjusters scope. The scope will be the diagram/sketch and measurements they used to calculate the square feet of each room of the building. Request the complete line-item, detailed estimate they wrote to arrive at the settlement numbers of your claim. These documents will be useful to you and for any fire insurance claim consultant you may choose.
2. Existing Claim -
2. Document Contents Damage: You will now want to visit each room and closet once again. This time you will be collecting an inventory of your contents. In the same manner you did with the rooms; you should take an overview picture of each piece of furniture, each pair of shoes, each shirt, pants, ect. After the overviews you then take a close-up picture of any damages to that item. (Like smoke or water stains, etc.) Write each individual item down on a Contents Inventory Form. ( Request one by visiting http://www.insuranceclaimsgroup.com/contact-us.html ) The manner in which you take your photos will also help organize them. For Example; Take the overview picture of the room you are about to enter. In this example; let's say the living room. Your should then continue your way around the room to the left (clockwise). Capture pictures and list each item on each wall until you get back to where you began. It's important not to bounce around the room. This ensures that items will not be forgotten or missed. When the living room inventory has been pictured, listed, and completed, move into the next room. Again, start with an overview picture of that new room. This helps organize the contents by what room they were in. Be sure to list the name of the room on each page of the inventory list. Now the pictures and the lists are both sequenced and organized with each other.
2. During Claim Process -
2. Obtain Contents Damage Documents: If the adjuster has done their job properly they have taken photos of the contents during the inspection as well. If you have minimal or no photos of your contents you should request all those taken by the adjuster. You also want to request a copy of the complete contents inventory they had written to arrive at your contents settlement numbers. This type of documentation will also be useful for the fire insurance claim consultants you may choose.
3. During Claim Process -
3. Review Of Your Policy: Fire claim victims should take the time to and review their insurance policy. Most policyholders don't even know basic information, like; How much building coverage do they carry? How much contents (furniture, clothing, etc.) coverage? How much they have to stay in a hotel, to rent a home or furniture? Surprisingly enough, many policyholders have no idea about any of this. In most cases this documentation has been burned in the fire. In such cases; policyholders can visit with their agent and request a "certified true copy" of their full policy. It's also recommended to ask the agent to explain how much coverage you hold on your property.
3. Closed Or Settled Claims -
3. Obtain Copy Of Your Policy: Contact your insurance company and request a certified copy of your "FULL" insurance policy, including the Declarations page. This documentation will be useful for the fire insurance claim consultant you choose.
4. Closed Or Settled Claims -
4. Consult With Professionals: The adjusters visit damaged properties, inspect fire damages, and conclud estimates of the amount of damages a fire has incurred. It's extremley important that policyholders have sch a process completed for themselves as well. Think about it; how do policyholders really know the insurance company's adjusters are doing their jobs in the correct manner? Should policyholders be willing to just give up tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars - without beng sure? It is the adjusters job to explain all the fire insurance claim coverage that is available. However, this type information is usually witheld. Sometimes it's witheld on purpose, and at other times it's also witheld on purpose (Was that a misprint? Witholding information from policyholders is usually witheld until they actually ask. More often than not; such witholding happens on purpose.) It is your home or building, it is your insurance repair money, and it is your policy - the one you have PAID for. You are responsible for educating yourself. You need to ensure you're receiving the complete compensation you're entitled to. It's up to he policyholder to seek and hire the fire insurance claim appraiser or consultant. You need to consult someone who can complete a full review, looking out for your interests, and diligently review your insurance company's documents of your claim. You deserve to know if you obtained a fair shake or not.
4. Closed Claim -
4. Consult A Fire Professional: Have you obtained a fair settlement for your fire insurance claim? How can you be sure unless you ask someone who knows for sure? If you are not 100% sure if you have received fair settlement from the insurance company, you most definitely owe it to yourself to investigate. If you have collected and reviewed all the documents as outlined earlier; you will have sufficient documentation to consult the opinion of a professional. A quick review of your claim is all a fire insurance claim consultant needs to advise you where you stand. To leave yourself in the dark, with a notion of forfeiting tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of dollars on the table - does not make much sense. A minimal fee to gain an understanding of where you stand is a tiny price to pay. Compare that to a large lump of insurance proceeds that you were not aware existed.
(Free Consultation: Fire insurance claims help is available. We will provide a free review of a present or closed insurance claim file at no cost. If needed; visit http://www.insuranceclaimsgroup.com/contact-us.html or feel free to call us at 919-669-9111. )
The reasons are simple. See, the insurance company adjuster works for the insurance company, whereas the fire claims consultant works for you. You've done the right thing by making sure you had insurance coverage. It's up to you to take the next step and be sure you have received what you paid for.
Author Resource:
Copyright of Insurance Claims Group, Inc. & Joseph P. Brennan: Learn more about http://www.fireinsuranceclaims.net and obtain a Free Consultation fire your fire insurance claims. Fire Insurance Claim Help (919) 669-9111.
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