It is crucially important to know how to tackle insurance claims in the event of water damage. When the plumbing or roofing starts to age and tear down, homeowners will be relieved when they have purchased homeowner’s insurance. However, after loss homeowners think they would automatically be covered by the insurance for the damage. This assumption is usually wrong.
Insurance companies are quite determined to keep repayments and coverage as low as possible to the point of non-existence. Employing the services of a water damage claim adjuster may be the answer to claiming as much return as possible.
As the process of dealing with water claim insurance procedures are slow and make takes up a lot of hours, it is ideal to have someone to help, and here is where a water damage claim adjuster comes in. If the loss is complicated and extensive, let a water damage claim adjuster handle the claims for you. Since these water damage claim adjusters are not tied to the insurance company, they have an unbiased opinion and are focused on finding the real extent of the loss – whereas insurance adjusters are just focused on getting as little payout as possible.
Essential Assistance Given by a Water Damage Claim Adjuster
As experienced as they are, water damage claim adjusters may have preliminary advice to homeowners to strengthen the existing insurance claim. A water damage claim adjuster may assist homeowners to:
Take Steps to Halt the Cause of Damage
Upon realization that water damage has occurred, a homeowner may contact a water damage claim adjuster. The water damage claim adjuster may then advise them that they should take all applicable steps to limit and control the extent of ongoing Water Damage Restoration. This step is to reinforce the water damage claim’s approval and maximization. The insurance company then cannot reason a decline of some or all of the claims due to that the homeowners have not taken the steps to mitigate further damage.
Depending immensely on the type of water damage, protective steps may vary. For plumbing leaks, for example, turning off the water to the house is an inherent step while roof leaks may entail putting up a tarpaulin to temporarily block the rain.
Water damage claim adjusters may advise homeowners to communicate with suitable professionals like plumbers, roofers, restoration specialists, or water remediation companies as soon as possible. These professionals may be better capable to control the existing damages and can also begin the repairs quicker.
Speaking of repairs, homeowners may be advised by their water damage claim adjuster to hold off making binding repair contracts until the water damage claim has been fully processed by the insurance. This can also be a ground for disapproval of the full claim of repairs on the part of the insurance company.
Also, remember to not immediately get rid of damaged items. Items damaged by water can be kept in sealed containers or plastic bags. These items can be used as proof to show to the water damage claim adjuster.
Save Water-damaged Evidence
The water damage claim adjuster may inform you that to assess the water damage claim the insurance will need you to present proofs or otherwise that show which parts of the property were damaged.
It will be an advantage if videos were taken to aid documentation of the damages. The water damage claim adjuster will ask homeowners to prepare these documents in advance. These days, it is rather common to document property conditions by using only our smartphones. So, take as many pictures of the loss as possible. Also, include photos of anything that may be believed as the reason for the incident.
When possible, take videos instead of pictures as they are more convicting than the latter when it comes to reinforcing damage claims. A better grasp of the overall situation and damages can be seen better in videos. The water damage claim adjuster may ask homeowners to document through videos instead.
A written list of water-damaged properties should also be created and will be collected by the water damage claim adjuster aside from videos and photos. Include in this list a description of each item, its value, and estimated replacement costs. A restoration expert comes in when the homeowner and water damage claim adjuster is unsure of the damaged item’s price. Usually, restoration experts have a fair grasp of the value of a kind of furniture and specific article.
The water damage claim adjuster may ask the professionals tapped to assist with the coming up of quotes and reports to explain the incident and how much it entails to correct the damages. Professional roofers and plumbers are examples of professionals familiar with this process. Homeowners must remember to keep the receipts of up-front payments for any repairs.
Report to the Insurance Company
Notifying the insurance company of the loss is the most important one. The homeowner or water damage claim adjuster must do this step as soon as possible. For this step, usually, a call will suffice. Promptness is important in this step or risk denial of the claim for late notifications. Even when repairs can be done without insurance assistance, notification is still a must to avoid complications later on. The water damage claim adjuster will guide you in this step. Even when unsure if the loss is claimable, the water damage claim adjuster may still make a notification to the insurance company.
At least, when the claim is not covered, advance info warrants no fine or penalty. Homeowners must tell the water damage claim adjuster of the policy number before informing as the insurance might ask for this detail. A lot of homeowners find claims processes complicated and feel that it takes up so much time so they employ the services of water damage claim adjusters.
Avoid the Insurance Company Contractors
Water damage claim adjusters may advise homeowners to evade the insurance company vendors. Usually, after having assessed the water damage claim, insurance companies will try to settle by using their contractors to repair the damages instead of paying the cost of the claim. Do not take this offer from the insurance company. Some water damage claim adjusters have their team or contacts of professional plumbers, roofers, and restoration experts that can do the work.
Contractors that are working under the insurance company are naturally influenced by them. Since the interests of these contractors sync with the insurance company, homeowners may get biased assessments from them.
To maximize the benefits of claim recovery from water-damaged losses, hiring water damage claim adjusters may be the best option to both save time and get expert guidance.
