If you’ve recently had a catastrophic emergency that has damaged your home, you’ll need to find contractors to repair your home as soon as possible. While insurance may cover a large portion of the repair, coverage won’t kick in unless you hit your deductible.
What Is a Deductible?
A deductible is an amount that is due before your insurance company pays your insurance claim. The exact amount varies from plan to plan, but the concept is the same. So, if your deductible is $1,000, your insurance provider won’t pay anything until the $1,000 amount is met. This means if your damage costs less than $1,000, your insurance company will not cover it. Once your deductible is met and the damage to your property is covered, your insurance company is responsible for paying up to the maximum amount in your insurance plan.
It’s important to keep in mind that homeowners insurance deductibles are often per claim and not per year. This means if you have more than one emergency in a year you’ll need to meet your deductible again. With that said, Florida has an exception for hurricane season in which only one deductible needs to be met for each hurricane season.
Who Do I Pay My Deductible To?
Once damage has occurred, your insurance provider will likely send an adjuster to survey your property and help determine how much it will cost to repair the damage. From there, your insurance will issue a payment (minus your deductible) that you can use to pay for the repairs to your home. With that said, the company may make out a check to both your lender and you if you have a mortgage. Once you hire a company to repair your home you will simply use the payment from your claim to pay them.
What If My Insurance Denies My Legitimate Claim?
If your home has recently been damaged and you have properly noted the damage, filed a claim on time, and taken all of the steps required to receive payment on your claim, you are owed the money. With that said, your insurance company may try to find a way to get out of paying. If this happens, reach out to Colucci Law Group.
The team at Colucci Law Group is made up of top experts at combating bad faith claim denials, and we will provide you with an experienced property insurance lawyer to represent you in a suit against your insurance provider. We are also able to file your claim for you and defend your rights, so you get the settlement that you deserve.
For more information about our property insurance legal services, reach out today. We’d be happy to help you to file your claim or represent you in a lawsuit against your insurance provider.
If you suspect that you are the victim of a bad-faith insurance claim denial or you would like support filing a claim, we can help. The Colucci Law Group has the resources to assess the validity of your claim at no cost to you. For a free consultation, email us or call our Clearwater office at 727-733-9438. You may also call our Fort Myers office at 239-378-7800. Our team assists victims of bad-faith insurance claims across the state of Florida.