Property Damage Claim Work
If someone damages your property, you file a property damage claim with an insurance company to receive compensation covering the damage-related expenses. The at-fault party’s insurance company should pay for it, but if the at-fault party is unknown, you can file the claim with your insurance policy.
When you are filing a property damage claim, you deserve fair compensation for damage to your property. Your claim should include evidence of the damage, such as pictures and videos. The more evidence and information surrounding your claim, the better.
Important Steps to Take and Different types of Property Damage Claims
When you endure damage to your property, you file a police report. Law enforcement may determine who is at fault for the damage, or you may not know who caused the damage. When you don’t know who is responsible for damage to your property, you would file a claim through your own auto, homeowners, or renters insurance policy.
You can file property damage claims through different insurance policies. The following are ways you can seek compensation for damaged property:
Through Auto Insurance
If someone crashed their vehicle into your home, you would file a claim with the driver’s auto insurance, specifically the property damage coverage part of their policy. If the damage exceeds the at-fault driver’s auto insurance limits, you can file a home property damage claim. Your homeowner’s insurance will pay for what the driver’s insurance can’t.
Through Homeowners Insurance
If an individual damaged property that is part of your home, you might be able to file a claim through their homeowners or renters insurance. It is possible to settle a situation like this between you and that person without involving insurance or going to court, and they can pay you out of pocket.
If not, filing a property damage claim under their insurance may be the way to go. If you had personal belongings stolen from your home, this is covered by homeowners insurance as you have personal property coverage.
If your property is destroyed or damaged by a fire, hurricane, or another type of disaster, your homeowner’s insurance can cover your losses. Homeowners insurance offers dwelling coverage and other structures coverage when your property is affected by the weather or catastrophic accidents. When you file a claim with your own insurance, you can expect your rate to increase when you renew your policy. Sometimes it may be wiser to pay out of pocket for damage to your property.
How to Settle a Property Damage Claim
When you file your property damage claim with the other party’s insurance or your own, you should not accept the first settlement offer. The claims adjuster could lowball you, and you should receive the compensation you are entitled to. When you speak to the claims adjuster, do not admit fault or say anything that can be understood as fault as this can harm your claim.
Insurance companies may employ certain tactics to devalue a victim’s claim or downplay their losses. This is where a lawyer from our firm can assist you. Legal professionals are familiar with these tactics and claim adjusters’ tendencies to be unreasonable.
We can negotiate with them and will not quit until you receive the compensation you need and are entitled to. If we need to take the case to court to get you an adequate monetary award, we will do so. Your lawyer can take care of drafting the property claim damage letter and filling out the property damage claim form.
Property damage claim time limit
You may have a limited time to file your property damage claim. An insurance company may set a deadline for filing a claim, but lawsuits follow state law. In Florida, you generally have four years to file a lawsuit to recover compensation for damaged or destroyed property, according to Florida Statutes § 95.11.
Four years can seem like plenty of time, but it takes a while to build a strong case. Once you get the ball rolling and are working with an insurance company to obtain your settlement, the claims process can take a while. An insurance company may perform its own investigation of the accident.
Do not waste any time—you should get started on collecting evidence right away. If you decide to hire one of our personal injury lawyers in Fort Lauderdale, it is best to give them as much time as possible to work on your claim and lawsuit to get you the best outcome possible.
Ample Evidence is Key in your Claim
You want to have exhaustive evidence of your damaged property. Along with your own pictures and videos, nearby surveillance cameras could have recorded the accident that led to your property damage. If there were any witnesses to what happened, it could benefit your claim to get their accounts. Your lawyer can interview them to potentially get valuable information from them that can strengthen your claim.
Call the Law Offices of Wolf & Pravato today for Legal Help
Call (954) 633-8270 today for your free, no-risk, no-obligation case review with a compassionate member of our team. You have suffered enough by experiencing damaged property, and you should not have to pay when you have insurance that will cover the damage or when a negligent party caused the damage.
Let us handle every aspect of your case. The Law Offices of Wolf & Pravato will do everything in our power to get you fairly compensated.
