A Guide to the Insurance Claims Process

The insurance claims process when dealing with significant damage to your property, whether due to a fire, hurricane, or other disaster, is quite extensive and tedious. It involves a lot of paperwork and back-and-forth. And to top it all, you also have to negotiate with your insurance company to get a decent settlement that covers the damages you have suffered. Having a public claims adjuster by your side can make this burden a lot easier.

But even if you have hired a public adjuster, it is always a good idea to be familiar with the whole process yourself. Read on to learn more about what you need to know.

For more information on the process and to get started working with expert insurance adjusters in Missouri, Illinois, Texas, or Florida, contact the experts at Claims Adjusters today.

Steps Involved in the Insurance Claims Process

Natural disasters such as hurricanes, tornados, fires, and floods can cause substantial damage to your business or home. Knowing what you need to do after your home or business establishment has suffered a serious accident or damage is essential for everyone. The following steps can help you understand the insurance claims process and learn what to do following a disaster.

Step 1: Assess Any Risk to Life and Safety

The first step, particularly in the case of a severe accident such as a fire or a natural calamity, is to ensure that there is no risk to the life and safety of the people living or working inside the property. Make sure that everyone is safe. If someone has suffered injuries or, perish the thought, there is loss of life, you must claim a health/ life insurance settlement to help with the upcoming needs.

Step 2: Prevent Further Damages

As the owner of the property, you need to make sure that there is no further damage to your property. Try to temporarily reinforce whatever can be saved until the insurance claim is settled. Once you receive the payout, you can go ahead with permanent repairs. This is more important in case of damage caused by fire, hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, floods, etc.

Step 3: Temporarily Shift To A Safer Place

Whether it is a business establishment or a home, it is important to ensure everyone’s safety. Move your family or staff to a safer place until the existing property is repaired. This may mean temporarily living or working out of a separate space until the necessary repairs are able to be completed.

Step 4: Go Through the Terms of Your Policy

Now that the actual insurance claims process starts, you first need to thoroughly understand the terms and conditions of your insurance policy. Find out what the coverage limitations are, what kind of damages are eligible for insurance cover, when a claim needs to be filed by, and so on. Insurance policies are tricky, and the language may be hard to understand for you. If it is so, hiring a public adjuster at this point will be a big help. They are familiar with the insurance claims process and can decipher the policy for you.

Step 5: Assess the Damages and File a Claim

The next step is assessment and valuation of the damages and filing an appropriate claim on this basis. You need to submit a detailed and itemized claim stating the estimates of damages you are claiming and under which insurance category. A public adjuster can also help you in this by conducting a detailed inspection and estimate of damages and guiding you on what to include in your claim.

The insurance company also sends an insurance adjuster to prepare an estimate of their own.

Step 6: Settlement of Claim

In the next stage, the insurer will audit your claim and adjust the estimate in consultation with their experts. It is highly likely to have a difference in the claim you file and the payout they offer, so negotiation is necessary. Public adjusters are expert negotiators, and they can do it on your behalf.
Once both parties come to an agreement on the settlement amount, you will receive the payout. You can start the restoration of your property after this.

Get Started Filing Your Insurance Claim with Our Expert Public Claims Adjusters

Looking for an experienced public insurance adjuster in Missouri, Texas, Illinois, Florida, or other states to help you with this whole insurance claims process? Contact us online or give us a call at 800-259-0913.