The Florida homeowner’s insurance claim lawyers at the Shochet Law Group work with homeowner’s whose insurance claims have been denied, delayed, or underpaid. If you have had difficulty with your homeowner’s insurance claim in Florida, the Shochet Law Group may be able to review your policy, help you understand your rights, and negotiate with insurance adjusters to help you get the settlement you may deserve under the law. Insurance claims can be denied, delayed, or underpaid for many reasons. Sometimes insurance companies do act in bad faith, failing to properly represent the terms of a policy to homeowners, but other times insurance claim denials or underpayments are the result of incorrect information, failure to document losses fully, and breakdowns of communication. In the aftermath of a hurricane or major storm in Florida, insurance companies may be overwhelmed trying to settle a variety of claims. Insurance policy holders are often expected to clearly provide documentation of the loss. Sometimes homeowner’s may not understand the fine print of their homeowner’s policy. If this is the case, a homeowner’s insurance claim lawyer in Florida at the Shochet Law Group may be able to help. A Florida homeowner’s insurance claim lawyer at the Shochet Law Group may be able to help you with every step of the settlement process following damage to your home. We can help you with properly documenting your losses, presenting this information to adjusters, and if your claim cannot be settled through negotiation, we can pursue your claim in court.
Reasons Why Homeowner’s Insurance Claims Get Delayed in Florida
While homeowner’s claims may get denied for many reasons, sometimes claims get delayed following a major storm. Delays can be costly for homeowners and they can be stressful. And in some cases, extensive delays may be against the law.
Under Florida law, for example, within 14 days of submitting a claim, the insurance company must send you a Homeowner Claims Bill of Rights. The good thing about the Homeowners Claims Bill of Rights is that this document covers all types of homeowner’s insurance in Florida, and doesn’t differ from policy to policy. Under the Homeowner Claims Bill of Rights your insurance company must send you an acknowledgement of receipt of your claim within 14 days of your making a claim. Within 30 days, you have the right to submit a written request to the insurance company to advise you on the status of your claim. The insurance company must let you know within thirty days if you submit this written request, whether your claim has been covered in full, partially covered, denied, or let you know that the claim is still being investigated. When you submit your proof of loss statement, you can request this update. The Homeowner Claims Bill of Rights further states that within 90 days you should have your claim settled, and if the claim is under dispute, the undisputed portion of your claim should be paid. Under the Homeowner Claims Bill of Rights you also have the right to seek mediation if you don’t agree with the settlement amount being offered or if you believe your claim has been wrongfully denied.
Under the Homeowner Claims Bill of Rights, homeowners also have certain responsibilities. For example, you should always wait for your insurance company to send an adjuster or investigator to your property before entering into a contract with a contractor for repairs. Sometimes contractors take advantage of homeowners who are desperate for repairs by convincing them to enter a contract before insurance has concluded its investigation. Making full repairs before you hear from an insurance company can affect your settlement and can even result in you having to pay out of pocket expenses.
You have a responsibility to make emergency repairs to prevent further damage to your property, but you’ll want to take photos of damage before repairs were made and document all repairs. Other aspects of the Homeowner Claims Bill of Rights recommend that you make sure that any contractor you hire to do repairs is licensed in Florida and that you take precautions before entering into any contract with a contractor that requires you to pay out of pocket costs.
At the end of the day, when it comes to what will and won’t be paid for, your insurance company gets the last word—not a contractor. Don’t fall for the tricks of unscrupulous contractors. Wait until you hear from your insurance about their damage estimates. You can definitely get a quote from contractors, but you may want to avoid entering into any contract until you know what your insurance will be willing to pay.
Yet, after a storm or hurricane, or after damage to your home, time is of the essence. If you find that your insurance company is delaying in paying your settlement, you may have the right to fight back. You should have at least some money from your insurance company within 90 days. If you do not, you have rights. The Shochet Law Group is a homeowner’s claim denial law firm in Florida that works with clients whose claims have been delayed or denied. We are here to help you. In some cases delayed claims can be just as bad as a wrongly denied claim. At the end of the day, it means that your home isn’t repaired. This can lead to a loss of peace of mind, and added stress. Yet, you have important rights. The Shochet Law Group are Florida denied homeowner’s insurance claim lawyers that may be able to help.
How a Florida Homeowner’s Claim Denial Lawyer Can Help You
A homeowner’s claim denial lawyer in Florida can help you with your insurance claim in a variety of ways. If your claim has been wrongfully denied, we can fight your insurance company either in or outside of court. We can negotiate with insurance adjusters on your behalf to help you get the maximum possible settlement under the law and can help you put together documentation to better support your claim. If your claim has been underpaid, we can fight to help you get the maximum possible settlement under the law. We can look over your policy to help you understand your rights and responsibilities, and can hold insurance companies accountable in honoring their obligations to you. Insurance companies have a legal obligation to pay what they owe, but sometimes insurance adjusters misrepresent what is or isn’t covered in your policy and sometimes they wrongfully deny claims. A homeowner’s claim lawyer in Florida at the Shochet Law Group may be able to help you with the process. If your home has been damaged after a storm, this may be a very stressful time for you and your family. You don’t have to navigate the appeals process for your denied insurance claim alone. Contact the Florida homeowner’s claim denial lawyers at the Shochet Law Group today. We are here to help you.