When disaster strikes and your home is damaged, your home insurance should kick in to cover the repairs. But when your insurance company tries to get out of giving you the settlement you’re owed, a home insurance claim attorney from KFB Law can help.
Filing a homeowner’s insurance claim activates your coverage under your homeowner’s insurance policy. It’s meant to kick in when there’s damage to your home with repair costs that exceed your deductible.
Which events your insurance policy covers varies depending on your plan, but most plans typically include:
- Damage from storms, hurricanes, and tornadoes (excluding flooding)
- Lightning strikes
- Fires and smoke damage
- Frozen plumbing
- Burglaries and break-ins
- Riots and vandalism
While the claim process should work in theory, insurance companies deliberately try to avoid paying out fair settlements and often deny claimants without a good explanation. That puts you on the hook for all home repairs – unless you file a claim dispute with the help of an expert homeowner’s insurance lawyer.
What is a claim dispute?
You can file a claim dispute (sometimes called a claim appeal) when you don’t agree with the settlement offered by your insurance company. A dispute asks the insurance company to review your case again to receive a new settlement.
However, filing a dispute doesn’t mean you’re guaranteed to get a better settlement. Companies may continue to delay, deny, or shortchange you even when you follow their procedures. That’s where we come in to help.
When companies make promises, our job is to hold them to it. A homeowner’s insurance attorney from KFB Law will work closely with you to determine what kind of financial outcome you could receive from filing a dispute.
Why was my claim denied?
Insurance companies want to avoid paying out claims to save money. They’ll deny a claim for any number of reasons.
Sometimes those reasons are valid. Other times, however, they’ll skew the facts of your case or act in bad faith by just not giving you a fair shake. When that happens, you need a lawyer on your side who can help you understand what’s happened, file a dispute, and hold your insurance company to its word.
Let discuss a few example scenarios of common reasons claims are denied.
Example #1 – Tropical Storm or Hurricane Damage
The situation: Your home is damaged by wind and debris from a bad storm. Windows are broken and your roof needs to be replaced. Part of your home is also flooded from the storm, but you don’t have flood insurance in addition to your regular homeowner’s insurance.
Why you were denied: Flood insurance has to be purchased separately from homeowner’s insurance. Your insurance company claims that, because your home was also damaged by flooding, they don’t need to pay you what you’re owed – even though wind and debris played a part. They may try to offer you a meager settlement amount or even no compensation at all because they’re pinning all the damage on the flood.
How a lawyer could help: A home insurance claim attorney can negotiate with your insurance company to review your settlement and help you fight for more money. If they’re acting in bad faith by ignoring evidence or basing their decision on any other than pure facts, an attorney can help defend you.
Example #2 – House Fire
The situation: Your home catches fire by accident. In the rush to find new housing and deal with the aftermath, you submit an insurance claim that’s missing certain information. Perhaps you forgot key details or weren’t sure of the full extent of the damage right away. Your insurance company denies your claim because they don’t have all the facts.
Why you were denied: Insurance companies are sticklers for paperwork and procedure. Even if your claim is valid, they could write you off on a technicality. The claims process is often so confusing or unclear that the odds are stacked against most policyholders from the start.
How a lawyer could help: We’re experts at handling difficult companies. Our home insurance lawyers can help gather all of the proper documentation and ensure your dispute is airtight. Then, we’ll deal directly with each company to make sure they get what they need – so that you get what you need.
Example #3 – Burglary/Theft
The situation: Someone breaks into your home while you are away at work. They steal some expensive electronics and jewelry. You submit a claim detailing exactly what you lost and how much it was worth. But your insurance drags its feet and you never hear back, even after repeatedly contacting the company. Eventually, you may even receive a denial of your claim without explanation.
Why you were denied: When insurance companies deal with high caseloads, some cases will fall through the cracks. They may not respond in a timely manner or they may even deny you without giving a reason – even though your claim was valid and you did everything right.
How a lawyer could help: A good lawyer can hold your home insurance company accountable. When a lawyer gets involved, they know to take us seriously – and we can push them to give your case a fair chance.
How can an attorney help me?
When your insurance company won’t pay out what you’re owed, you can rely on the legal experts here at KFB Law. When your home has been damaged, you’ll have your hands full dealing with the repairs. Let us negotiate your dispute for you.
An experienced home insurance claim attorney from our team can help you understand why your claim was denied, help you put together a strong claim dispute, and negotiate with your insurance to get you the settlement you deserve.
Contact us today for a free video call. Right away, we’ll assess your case and review your claim. We work with families across Florida to get the settlements they’re owed. We’re ready to work with you next.
Free Case Evaluation
Contact One of Our Offices
- Tampa: (813) 875-5445
- St Petersburg: (727) 576-5784
- New Port Richey: (727) 846-2680
- Wesley Chapel: (813) 715-0938
- Plant City: (813) 757-1694
- Riverview: (813) 438-8216
We would be glad to meet you in person at our Tampa, St. Petersburg, New Port Richey, Wesley Chapel, Plant City or Riverview offices or at any location that is convenient for you.
