A fire in your home is a scary thought. Your first priority will be the safety and comfort of your family, recovering sentimental belongings, and doing your best to keep going through a tough time.
Handling the insurance claim on top of all that can be overwhelming. But your family needs your insurance company to come through and help you pay to repair your home and replace your lost belongings.
A fire insurance lawyer is someone who can alleviate the stress of paperwork, deadlines, and communicating with claims adjusters. They make sure your claim stays on time and that it fully represents the extent of your loss.
But whether or not you should hire a fire insurance lawyer isn’t necessarily obvious. If any of these factors are at play in your claim, hiring a fire insurance claims lawyer should be your next step.
1. The Claim Is a Major One
A large or complicated claim puts too much at stake for you to handle it all on your own. In the event of a total loss, your family needs that money to recover, and you should call an insurance lawyer to be part of the process from step one.
Insurance companies do their best to limit the costs that they have to pay. That comes at the expense of homeowners relying on these funds. An insurance lawyer helps make sure that you’re not giving the insurer an easy reason to deny covering any particular expense.
2. You Have Questions About Your Claim
Filing an insurance claim is no small task. If you have a lot of questions or the claim is especially complicated, a lawyer is an invaluable source of information. An insurance lawyer can answer any FAQs about insurance claims that you may have, such as:
- What expenses does your fire insurance coverage include?
- What happens if your home was damaged by a natural disaster?
- How can you avoid a dispute with your insurer?
3. Your Fire and Dwelling Insurance Coverage Isn’t Enough
Are you worried that you don’t have enough fire insurance coverage? Have you received an offer from the insurer that you feel doesn’t accurately represent the amount you should receive according to your policy?
You don’t have to begin your claim with the help of a lawyer to get their help. While it’s often better to work with one early on, you can also bring someone on to help you after receiving an offer from the insurer.
4. A Third Party Is Involved
The added complication of a third party can make things all the more difficult. For example, if a fire spreads from a neighbor’s property, they could be responsible for the damages if there is evidence that they were negligent, but that can be far from clear.
There’s also the issue of how the insurance companies will get involved and whose insurance will pay for damages. You may have to file a claim with your own insurer, who will later pursue the neighbor’s insurer for damages in a process called subrogation.
A fire insurance lawyer can help you find your way through the complications of a major insurance claim and make sure you get the best settlement for your family.
Photo by ergonofis on Unsplash
