As a property owner, you may find it necessary to file a property damage claim, and there are many reasons that can happen. It could be due to damages from a fire or storm or if an injury occurs on your property.
Before filing a claim, you should make sure you go over your insurance policy carefully to find out what exclusions, limits and add-on provisions, like additional coverage for big-ticket personal items, may be included in your policy. If you have any questions, talk to your insurance broker. It’s also important to find out if there’s a time limit on when you can file your claim. The most important part of making a claim is documentation, which includes retaining receipts and documenting who you talk to by logging the date, time, and details of discussions. You may end up talking to several people, so documenting who you’ve spoken to and when should help your file process run much more smoothly. Once you understand your coverage you can follow these property damage claim tips:
Police Report
- For certain types of claims, your home insurance provider may require a police report to be filed. Once this report is filed, provide it to your insurance company to support your claim. Many property insurance policies require a police report if theft or an act of vandalism has occurred, for example.
Contact Your Insurance Company
- Call your insurance company as soon as possible after the incident occurs to file your claim. The claims department will assign your case a claims number and an insurance adjuster, and he or she will be responsible for assessing the damage and estimating the costs. The adjuster’s job is to help your insurance company determine how much will be paid out to you for replacement or repairs.
Documentation
- If your home has been damaged or burglarized, photograph or videotape the damage so you can provide documented proof to your insurance company. You may need this documentation if the insurance company gives you a lower payout than expected and you need to appeal. If there was an injury involved, log all the details, such as the date, time and specifics of the incident. Providing these details to your insurance company can help the claims process move more quickly.
Additional Expenses
- If you had to leave your home and need to make a claim for additional living expenses, make sure you keep all of the receipts for costs to be reimbursed.
Repairs
- If you have a leaky roof or water damage that may make your home unlivable, consider temporary repairs if doing nothing could cause further damage. Keep all these receipts for repairs, as well, and give them to your insurance company so they can reimburse you. You will want to make copies for your own records.
If you experience damage to your property, keep in mind that the professionals here at Ascension General Contractors are always here to help you get back to normal as quickly as possible. We are a full-service repair company, and proud to serve Nashville residents.
