This is a fight you cannot win alone, unless you have extensive legal knowledge.
If your house was damaged by a severe winter storm, fallen trees, wind or fire, you may be looking at a sizable homeowners insurance claim. You’re well within your rights to make a claim, that’s why you’ve been paying your premiums dutifully all those years. However, don’t expect your insurer to be thrilled to hear you want money. Whenever you’re preparing a significant claim, you should talk to an experienced Virginia homeowners insurance claims lawyer beforehand to avoid unnecessary delays or an outright denial of your claim.
Why would my claim be denied?
Do you want the real reason or the official explanation the insurer will give you? If you thought the insurance company would have your back and cover your losses should anything bad happen, you were probably ignoring one simple fact. They are a for-profit business and their main goal is to collect all the money they can get from their policyholders and pay as little as possible. When you go asking for money, that money comes out of their profit and they won’t like that.
In order to keep that money, insurers have developed all sorts of strategies to get out of their fiduciary obligations towards their clients. They know how to cover their wrongdoings well so you’ll need a skilled homeowners insurance claims denial lawyer in Virginia Beach to understand their game and protect your interests.
What is lack of coverage?
This is one of the most common reasons insurance companies use to deny a claim. An experienced insurance claims lawyer won’t have any trouble decoding the confusing wording on your policy to understand if the event that damaged your house is covered or not. For instance, snow and damage may be covered, but only to a certain extent. Accidental fires are covered under most standard home insurance policies, but your insurer may try to declare your claim void if they can accuse you of some sort of negligence.
If your house is badly damaged, you may be entitled to have your living expenses reimbursed when you move to a motel while repairs are carried out. On the other hand, if your house is left without power for a few days you probably won’t get living expenses.
How do I fight a home insurance denial?
This is a fight you cannot win alone, unless you have extensive legal knowledge. Get a good lawyer to assist you in preparing an appeal. When they let you know your claim was denied, the insurance people will often use an intimidating tone to convince you their decision is final and there’s nothing you can do about it. This is not true, but you’d be surprised to hear how many people give up.
When your claim is denied you have the right to file an internal appeal. The insurer is obligated to review your case and accept new documents supporting your claim. At this point, a tough lawyer may be able to convince them it’s in their best interests to change their minds and compensate you for your losses. They know they risk being accused of acting in bad faith and sued, which may end up costing them even more.
