Most home insurance claims involve the following steps (though yours may vary somewhat depending on where you live and the nature of your claim):
Once the claim adjuster comes to inspect the damage, they will create a loss report. This may take up to 14 days to complete. During this time, you should also receive a Claims Bill of Rights from your insurance company, if you live in Florida. Review it so you know your rights and the claims timeline.
The adjuster will guide you on how to turn in receipts for items and estimates for damage repairs. Submit these to the adjuster as you get them.
If you have our Managed Repair Network endorsement, we’ll connect you with local and licensed service providers that can help you get estimates.
Once repair costs are approved, the work begins. Contractors will ask you to sign a release so that they can get paid directly from your insurer for the work performed. This way, you aren’t out of pocket for the expenses waiting for reimbursement.
If your belongings are lost or damaged and the claim is approved, you’ll get a payment so you can replace them.
For Florida, your complete claim will be approved or denied within 90 days.
If you dispute the claim, you may be able to take advantage of mediation though the Florida Department of Financial Services Division of Consumer Services.
While you can’t prevent every loss, it’s your responsibility to take reasonable steps to lessen the severity of the loss. For example, you might take steps to prepare your home for a hurricane or curb losses after an incident happens.
For example, you might:
That said, exercise common sense and caution. Do not put your safety at risk. Ask your insurance company if you have questions about how to proceed with a loss.
If you are unable to take safe actions to mitigate losses, be sure to document your reasons and explain them to your adjuster.
Wait for an adjuster to be assigned to your claim and to investigate the loss before you make any repairs. You want your adjuster to be able to evaluate the full extent of the damage. Otherwise, you risk not being reimbursed for work done or getting a smaller payout than you should.
That said, if you are in immediate need of repairs for safety or health reasons, explain this to your claims representative. It is possible to get the repairs done in emergency scenarios and provide a receipt for the work. In this case, we often want a licensed contractor, ideally within the Managed Repair Network, to provide an estimate and complete the work.
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