Florida Insurance Claims Assistance After Fire Damage
Owning a home or business in Orlando, Florida is a dream come true for many people who love the abundant sunshine, the miles of beaches, the vibrant and diverse population, and the endless variety of available activities offering something for everyone.
However, paradise doesn’t come cheaply. Florida residential insurance rates, as well as rates for Florida commercial insurance, are among the highest in the country. Even the most rigorous property maintenance can’t prevent occurrences such as natural disasters bringing torrential rains, flooding, leaking roofs, water damage, mold, mildew, and other consequences of water damage. Not only do Floridians have to contend with wind destruction from hurricanes and tornados, but also with sinkholes, pest invasions, lethal heat waves, and fires.
Even in a tropical water wonderland like Florida, fires cause damage year-round.
Predatory Insurance Companies
Regretfully, Florida has a dark side that destroys people’s dreams. In spite of smiles and reassuring promises along with ready contracts, a certain percentage of businesses – known as predatory insurance companies – are as skilled at avoiding reimbursement as they are at gaining their clients’ trust. Many Florida policyholders are unaware of this until they file their claims. Such companies may take advantage of any or all of these common predatory practices:
- Cultivating relationships by offering free seminars about important insurance topics; they may serve food or offer small prizes to collect contact information leading to a high-pressure home visit from an “advisor” who may be an actor rather than an actual agent.
- Employing a team of attorneys who use their knowledge of the law to create loopholes and exclusions in the detailed contracts.
- Omitting information about various discounts a client is qualified to claim.
- Neglecting to provide suggestions to make a property more disaster-resistant.
- Starting clients with a low premium that unexpectedly jumps the following year.
- Overcharging premiums higher than approved rates.
- Delaying or refusing a thorough investigation, deliberately losing or skewing evidence in their own favor.
- Low-balling settlements, providing less than clients might realistically claim.
- Denying claims without supporting data to justify the refusal.
How Can Florida Insurance Policyholders Protect Themselves?
If speaking to the agent’s supervisor, filing a written complaint, and notifying the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation has failed to bring resolution, consider contacting Guard Your Claim.
How Guard Your Claim Helps
When a Florida policyholder, whether a homeowner or business owner, suffers damage from a fire or another natural disaster, they don’t have to feel powerless if the insurance company refuses to pay out.
Guard Your Claim is there to help. Guard Your Claim is a Coral Gables claims adjuster organization run by a team of skilled, experienced, and aggressive professionals who will negotiate a fair settlement to ensure that the homeowner’s insurance reimbursement will match their policy, providing all of the following:
- Representation for the policyholder
- Knowledge of the insurance policy
- Expertise in understanding claims and the rights of the policyholder
- Management of the claim from start to finish on behalf of the policyholder
Being bamboozled is not part of ethical Florida residential and business insurance practice. Let Guard Your Claim help you reclaim your dream. Get your claim in Fort Lauderdale, Tampa and nearby areas.