The Question is:
Is it important to comply with my insurance company regarding the claims process?
The answer is yes. However, first it is important to always check with a qualified policyholder professional regarding your storm damage claim.
Texas tornado and hail storm attorneys will make sure the insurance company is not placing unreasonable demands on business owners, and residents of Texas. Texas tornado and hail storm attorneys will also protect policyholder's rights - regarding underpaid, denied, or delayed insurance claims.
Texas areas served by The Voss Law Firm, P.C. include: Dallas, Houston, Austin, Waco, San Antonio, Salado, Ennis, Abilene, Lubbock, Amarillo, Midland/Odessa, El Paso, Galveston, Corpus Christi, and all other Texas cities and towns.
The Voss Law Firm, P.C. stands ready protect policyholder rights, if the insurance company is acting in bad faith.
Policyholder Duties
The insurance policy is a contract between the carrier and the policyholder. The policyholder has certain duties under this contract.
What are the duties, and why is compliance important?
The duties of the policyholder will be outlined in the full policy. This is one of the reasons why it is important to keep a full copy of the policy on hand.
A few examples of some policyholder duties are listed below:
- The policyholder has a duty to report any damages noticed, as soon as possible.
- The policyholder also has the duty to allow the insurance company an opportunity to inspect the damage.
- The policyholder must also allow the insurance company access to the property, if they wish to send out an engineer to further inspect the property.
- Policyholders can sometimes be asked to send in an inventory of damaged items, in the case of a fire, etc.. This is also a good reason to keep receipts and take a video/still pictures of important belongings.
- Policyholders can also be asked to send in letters from their contractor (regarding build back), for purposes of extending ALE.
Note: Additional Living Expense (ALE) Insurance covers additional costs incurred if a homeowner is displaced and must pay out of pocket as a result.
- It is also important for policyholders to keep up with reasonable property maintenance. Maintenance can include keeping gutters from becoming clogged with leaves, etc..
- Property maintenance can also including mitigating any active leaks with temporary repairs/steps to prevent further damage.
- Trimming back trees can also fall under property maintenance, if branches are hanging over the roof. It is also important to remove dead trees if they are close to the property, and in danger of falling on to the house or building.
The Importance of Compliance
Compliance will help keep the insurance company from using non compliance against the policyholder. A record of compliance will also help policyholder attorneys (while representing the policyholder), when claims are unreasonably denied, delayed, or underpaid.
A good policyholder attorney is the final part of the equation. A good policyholder attorney will hold the carrier’s feet to the fire when claims arise. It is well documented that insurance carriers can sometimes implement various tactics when trying to lessen their financial exposure to claims, including: underpayment, denial, and the delay of claims. This is no surprise, given the record number of increasing weather events in the last several years (as documented in earlier VLF blogs).
This is why it is important to consult with a reputable policyholder attorney when filing a claim, and especially if your claim has been denied, delayed, or underpaid.
The Voss Law Firm, P.C. has been protecting policyholder’s rights for the past sixteen years, recovering billions of dollars in settlements for our clients.
Feel free to call, or email today for a free consultation on your file.
We are 100% contingency fee based. No recovery, no fee.
Todd Farr- Director of Client Relations.
(832)-278-9378