3 Steps to Negotiating a Fairer Insurance Offer after a Fire

28 Feb

It’s devastating to watch your family home become unlivable due to a fire or a flood. Fire, smoke, or water damage can force your family out of your home for months as you repair and rebuild. The stress will take its toll, and on top of everything, you need to keep showing up to work, do your best to make things feel normal for your kids, and deal with your insurance company.

It’s tough to know if the insurance company’s offer is fair when you’re under this kind of stress; and arguing for a higher amount can feel like too much work. You’re already feeling a lot of pressure and it can be tempting to just accept any offer they make and put the claim behind you.

Before you do, you need to sit down and make sure it covers what needs to be covered, and that your family won’t be stuck paying out of pocket for expenses that should have been covered. If it doesn’t feel fair, there is help. You don’t have to deal with the insurance company alone.

Follow these steps and you could get fairer compensation from your insurance company.

Step 1: Review Your Insurance Coverage

Fire insurance should cover these three aspects of a house fire:

  • Structural damage
  • Personal property loss
  • Additional Living Expenses

These costs can add up quickly. Your policy should cover repair and rebuilding costs, the cash value or replacement value of personal property, and additional costs incurred by having to find somewhere else to live. Find out what your insurance plan should cover and what your limits are for each area.

Step 2: Talk to a Lawyer Who Practices Insurance Law

A lawyer who practices insurance law can help you improve the monetary value of your insurance claim. The sooner you call them, the more they can do. A home insurance lawyer is an alternative to a public insurance adjuster. They can combine insurance knowledge with legal knowledge and negotiation skills to help you deal with the insurance company and get a better offer.

They can help guide you through tasks like creating or analyzing a Schedule of Loss or estimating damages and use legal arguments to make sure you get what’s fair. You can learn more from Virani Law about how a lawyer can help. It’s better to get help from the beginning of the process, but they can step in at any stage in your claim.

Working with a lawyer isn’t just about the monetary value of your claim. A lawyer can also help relieve some of the stress that comes with dealing with an insurance company.

Step 3: Negotiate a Better Claim

It’s important to note that calling a lawyer like Virani Law doesn’t mean you’re immediately in a dispute. That firm for example, prioritizes negotiation over mediation. They can make sure that your offer is a fair one according to the insurance coverage you bought and paid for. A lawyer may also be better equipped to handle dispute resolution than a public adjuster, but often the best path is to find a compromise with the insurance company.

Let a home insurance lawyer help you with your insurance claim. You’ve got more than enough on your plate already.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.