The Florida underpaid insurance lawyers at the Shochet Law Group works with homeowners who believe they have not received the full value settlement for their losses following a hurricane, fire, or other cause of damage to their home. If you have paid your homeowner’s insurance premiums on time, and have honored your obligations under your insurance policy, your insurance company has a responsibility to honor its own obligations to pay your claim fully and in a timely manner. Under Florida’s Homeowner Claims Bill of Rights, within 90 days of making a homeowner’s insurance claim, your claim should be paid in full. If you and your insurance company are in dispute about your claim, you should receive full payment for the undisputed amount, which should at least pay part of your repairs, while you negotiate or litigate the remaining amount. A Florida underpaid insurance lawyer at the Shochet Law Group may be able to help you negotiate with insurance companies to receive the full payment you may deserve, or may be able to help you take your case to court if your insurance company has acted in bad faith.
Claims may be underpaid for a number of reasons. Sometimes insurance adjusters have legitimate reasons to not pay the full amount you may feel you deserve for a claim. If you haven’t met your deductible, for example, and your insurance adjuster’s estimates of your loss is accurate, you may not receive additional money for your homeowner’s insurance claim. If certain aspects of your loss are subject to exclusions or fine print in your policy, you may also not receive the full amount you expect. The first step to understanding whether your homeowner’s insurance claim is truly underpaid or whether your coverage doesn’t include the amount you are seeking is to read over your homeowner’s insurance policy. Yet, if you’re like most people, you probably haven’t sat down to read the fine print and most people don’t sit down to read the fine print until after a hurricane or other disaster hits. If this describes you, or if you aren’t sure what is covered under your homeowner’s insurance coverage, the Shochet Law Group is a Florida underpaid insurance law firm that may be able to help you. Our underpaid insurance lawyers can review the details of your homeowner’s insurance policy, look over your damages, and assist you with getting the maximum possible settlement permitted under the law. We can provide information to insurance adjusters as needed and help you every step of the way.
Reasons Why Florida Homeowner’s Insurance Claims Are Underpaid
There are several reasons why homeowner’s insurance claims might be underpaid. The underpaid insurance claim lawyers in Florida at the Shochet Law Group may be able to help you get the full amount you might be entitled to receive. Here are some reasons why claims are underpaid:
- You didn’t fully document your losses. You are required to submit proof of loss forms to insurance adjusters in a timely manner. These proof of loss forms should be complete and follow the instructions provided by your insurance company. You may need to itemize your losses, provide receipts when possible, and provide a quote from a licensed contractor you plan to use. If you don’t fully understand what is covered under your policy and fail to document all aspects of your loss, you could miss out on part of your claim, or your claim may be underpaid. An example might be a situation where a family needs to stay in a hotel after a hurricane or fire. While you may be entitled to receive money to cover your hotel stay, meals, and even clothing, you’ll only be able to receive this money if you document these losses. And you can’t count on your insurance adjuster to remind you. If you aren’t sure you have documented all your losses or are having trouble understanding what is or isn’t covered under your insurance policy, the Florida underpaid insurance claim attorneys at the Shochet Law Group may be able to help.
- Your adjuster made an error. Adjusters are human and after a big fire or big hurricane, they may be overwhelmed with many claims at once. Sometimes adjusters use formulas or algorithms to estimate the value of losses. These algorithms may describe a “general” type of loss, but they may not always accurately describe your It is up to you to tell your insurance adjuster if these estimates aren’t accurate. Often, these estimates fail to take into account changing realities, like inflation, higher costs of labor due to demand, or other factors that may not be immediately apparent. Sometimes adjusters show up to assess your damages, and they may fail to document all your losses. This is where you come in! Properly document your losses yourself. Take photos. Keep notes. If your insurance adjuster’s estimate of your losses is less than what you’ll have to pay to make repairs, you may want to speak to your adjuster, or reach out to the Florida underpaid insurance claim lawyers at the Shochet Law Group today. You can always seek an independent assessment and submit this to your insurance company.
- You made an error. Any mistake you made in filling out proof of loss forms, or errors in securing your property after a hurricane, can lead to issues with your insurance claim. Always keep records of your correspondence with insurance companies. Always submit documentation in a timely manner. Remember that insurance companies have deadlines by which you’ll need to submit your proof of loss forms. If you think you did make an error, send updated information. And if you’re having difficulty with your claim because you think you made an error, the underpaid insurance claim lawyers in Florida at the Shochet Law Group may be able to help you. We may be able to fix it, or negotiate a solution with your insurance company.
- Bad faith. Sometimes insurance adjusters do lie. Sometimes insurance adjusters illegally and wrongfully misrepresent the language of a policy. If you believe your claim is being underpaid in bad faith, you have rights. The Shochet Law Group is an underpaid insurance claim lawyer in Florida that may be able to help you.
These are just some of the reasons why a Florida homeowner’s claim might be underpaid. If you don’t think you are getting the full value to cover repairs or your losses after a hurricane, fire, or other disaster, reach out to the Shochet Law Group today. Our Florida insurance lawyers are here to help you.
Contact an Underpaid Insurance Claim Lawyer in Florida Today
You may only have a limited time to appeal an underpaid homeowner’s insurance claim. If you believe your claim has been underpaid, contact the Shochet Law Group, an underpaid insurance claim law firm in Florida today. We may be able to help you understand your policy, understand what you are entitled to receive under your policy, and fight to help you get the best possible settlement permitted under the law.