|
Homeowner Insurance Claims
First comes the evacuation, a mad scramble for insurance documents, financial statements, family heirlooms. As you drive away, smoke shrouds the windows, flames lick the rooftop. Your home
and it's contents are reduced to ashes.
|
 |
After the
fire trucks and reporters have gone, you're left with
charred concrete remains
and
lingering
emotional trauma.
One of the first items your
Insurance Company Claims Adjuster will ask for is an inventory of
your personal property (a
home inventory).
If you do not have one, you will
need to create one. Not an easy task after everything
is gone. |
Why are Home Inventories so
important?
The Insurance Company
Claims Adjuster will visit the
location of loss within hours of the disaster. They will want to
see your insurance policy and your home inventory of what was destroyed
or damaged. The adjuster will take photographs of the damages and make a written
list of the losses based on the Home Inventory. If you don't have
a home inventory prepared, it will only delay the process until you
create one.
The job of the
claims adjuster
is not an easy one. They are often given many claims to handle
simultaneously, and are under pressure from many sides in processing
each claim. Their primary function is to protect the business
interests of the
insurance company which means paying
you the least amount possible to settle your claim.
Another pressure the claims adjuster faces is to
settle the claim and close the file and get it off their desk. In
cases where they are waiting for the claimant to come up with all the
details of their loss, the adjusters may try especially hard to close
the file. They will offer a
settlement amount which will be far less than the actual loss.
Having the Home Inventory documentation will provide proof of the value
of the loss and enable a negotiation for a more equitable settlement
PLUS it will dramatically speed up the entire process.
Contact us for more information. | 
