Property Damage

Property Damage

For many, signing up for insurance means that they will be protected in the case of a damaging event. If someone’s home or property is damaged by a fire, flood, storm, earthquake, tornado, or other natural disaster, one would expect the insurance company to react quickly and do everything in their power to restore life back to how it was prior to the events happening. This would mean an extensive look at the damage, and a fair settlement amount for your claim.

Unfortunately, the insurance companies are often in the business of reducing their risks as much as possible, and minimizing their payouts. In property damage cases, these insurance companies have been known to overlook some of the property damages they are responsible for, and implement practices that are not in the interest of the property owner who experienced the damages.

 

We see this take a few different forms:

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Implementing questionable methodologies and tactics to delay, deny, and defend against property damage claims

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Using adjusters who tend to save them money by routinely returning real estate claims that reduce the amount of property damages they have to pay out

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Refusing to pay for a property that has been damaged by a storm, flooding, shifting grounds, or other weather-related incidents, even if covered in agreement

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Relying on assessments and appraisals that undervalue the costs of the work that needs to be done to restore the damage to the property

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Classifying property damage under categories that are not covered, even if they should rightfully be covered under their legal designation

Experienced defending all types of property damage claims

Our law firm can help if you are about to file an insurance claim, have recently filed a claim, are fighting for coverage, or are in the midst of a bad faith claim against an insurance provider.

Here are a few of the damages we cover:

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Fire damage

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Hail damage

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Homeowners insurance claims

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Flooding from inside or outside

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Sinkhole damage

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Ground shifting and earthquake damage

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Smoke damage

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Rain and storm damage

Early signs you should contact an attorney

While it is always better to have an attorney helping you from the beginning considering how much can be at stake, here are some telltale signs that you should engage an attorney immediately:

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If the insurance provider says that the property damages are not covered even though the paperwork you signed indicates that it should be

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The insurance adjuster is dismissive of your concerns

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You and the insurance adjuster are not agreeing early on

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The claim will likely be expensive or complex

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It will be a large claim, such as property damage after a fire or extensive water damage

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It may be hard to establish who is at fault

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Claims where the insurance company has a lot of discretion over coverage

Remember that finding reasons or excuses to deny your claim and avoid paying you insurance benefits helps the insurance company bottom line – and it starts with the first call. Insurance companies, and their adjusters, will take every word you say and use it to build a case for justifying their coverage decisions. The sooner you engage an attorney with experience dealing with property damage and insurance companies, the better off your case will be.

Understanding insurance claim laws

Insurance companies are bound by laws that make them responsible for covering what is in their agreement. To ensure that property damage claims are properly funded, your attorney must understand the methods that insurance companies use to shift the responsibility, or assess and recategorize certain elements of what happened so as to not have it covered under their agreement.

The insurance companies can sometimes rely on you the policyholder taking their word, or not challenging them on whether they fully followed the laws applying to them for property damage coverage. If you do not understand your rights, or if they are able to persuade you to do what is favorable for them, they are able to save significant amounts of money.

With an in-depth understanding of the laws that insurance providers are held to, and required to follow, Hunter Law Group can help ensure that the property damage claims are dealt with in an equitable and fair way. By analyzing every detail of the claim, and keeping clients out of the pitfalls that allow insurance providers to save money, we help restore life back to normal as easily as possible – even if that means taking the claim to trial to ensure justice.

TALK TO THE TEAM

Hunter Law Group
3515 W 75th St.
Ste. 202
Prairie Village, KS 66208

913-320-3830

The information on this website is for general information purposes only. Nothing on this site should be taken as legal advice for any individual case or situation. This information is not intended to create, and receipt or viewing does not constitute, an attorney-client relationship. The choice of a lawyer is an important decision and should not be based solely upon advertisements.