Living on the Gulf Coast is usually pleasant, but when disaster strikes in the form of a hurricane, the home you have worked so hard for may suffer severe destruction. You likely planned and purchased sufficient insurance to pay for damage to your home and its contents to pay for repair or replacement. If your insurance company delays, underpays or denies your claim, what can you do?
Reacting To Bad Faith
It may be the case that your insurance company is acting in bad faith. Here are some signs that this may be the case:
- The insurer fails to make an investigation of your damage
- Your claim settlement is taking longer than it should
- Your insurer does not pay for what your policy covers
- Your claim is denied without a credible explanation
Initially, the insurance company has 90 days to give you a decision on your claim. They need to provide a replacement value for all you have lost. However, as businesses, they need to make money as well. This can result in bad faith behaviors that shortchange customers in good standing.
Get Legal Help
Florida law has a three-year statute of limitations for filing a lawsuit against your company for a denied or underpaid claim. Rather than using up time that counts toward your statute of limitations by fighting the company on your own, you can retain legal help and pursue your appeal more expediently.
Since you cannot trust insurers to preserve the compensation you deserve, you need an attorney’s help to help you protect your rights. Experienced property insurance attorneys know the methods that insurance companies use to pay you as little as possible while keeping you in the dark about the claim process. Legal representation can advocate for your rightful compensation for your property damage.
Use Professional Experience
Law firms committed to defending homeowners’ rights will have professional adjusters and loss consultants to evaluate your loss and advise you on a fair amount to address all of your damages covered by your policy. If your case goes to court and you win, it is likely that the decision will also make the insurance company pay your legal fees.