When people have homeowner’s insurance, they often deal with the same insurance agent for years. They may be on a first-name basis and always had their questions answered promptly…until the home is severely damaged by a fire.
The insurance agent is sympathetic and helps get a claim submitted to the insurance company. That may be the last time that the homeowner speaks with the insurance agent; now it’s a new game.
Inventory All of Your Belongings
Hopefully, at some point prior to the fire, the homeowner made an inventory of everything in the home. Take a lot of pictures and either upload the inventory together with the pictures to the internet or keep the information in a safe deposit box. Otherwise, it will be necessary to do an inventory from memory or in the damaged home, if possible, which won’t be fun; there will be no electricity and everything will be dirty, smoke-stained and damp from the fire hoses.
Dealing with the Insurance Company
A homeowner’s insurance policy is a contract with a lot of fine print that the homeowner may not really understand. The insurance company may try to settle the claim fairly quickly; in this case, the homeowner could settle for much less than they are really entitled to. The insurance company might send a check with a letter saying that the check is in “full release of the claim”. Don’t sign that release, but instead, talk to an attorney who deals with insurance companies every day, such as a personal injury lawyer in Mobile, AL,
Sometimes, negotiating with the insurance company will seem to be going nowhere. The insurance company may require the homeowner to make depositions in front of their attorneys, who could make it sound as though they believe that the homeowner started the fire and question every item on the inventory.
Get Legal Help
The insurance company has a battalion of lawyers. Personal injury lawyers spend their careers negotiating with insurance companies for their clients, whether it’s because of catastrophic damage to their home or because of an injury. They can provide the help that a homeowner needs when trying to settle a large claim.
Gene T. Moore is a personal injury lawyer in Mobile, AL with over 20 years of experience in protecting the rights of his clients. He knows how to negotiate with an insurance company. Protect yourself and call today to request a free consultation.
