May 2, 2024

The main reason most homeowners opt for a home insurance policy is to feel relieved during the occurrence of an unexpected event like a flood, thunderstorm or theft and also to get their homes restored to their former state. But then, most Insurance companies who are more concerned about making their own profits and do not care about the interest of the insured (homeowners) might stall when the homeowners ask for their claim, and might not be willing to pay the claim without no reasonable excuse or would try as much as possible to undervalue their claim.
Every homeowner with a valid home Insurance coverage or policy must know the secrets and tactics of a Home Insurance Claim Adjuster so as to know how to avoid being a victim of those tactics. By being aware of the common home insurance claim adjuster tactics, you can avoid being a victim of their manipulations and get the best settlement from your home insurance claim. The best way to avoid their manipulations ad never settle for less is by hiring a lawyer who can represent and stand in for you whenever a situation arises.

What Is Home Insurance And What Does It Cover?

Owning a home is very good but knowing how to protect it is the most important thing. How can you protect your home?
A home insurance policy is put in place to cover the losses and damages of a home as well as the assets included in the home. Depending on what is stated or paid for in the policy statement, the home insurance policy could cover the interior as well as the exterior damages and the damages incurred at the time of the incident. A home insurance policy should be considered a necessity by homeowners as it protects your home and possession whenever an unforeseen event occurs. It basically provides you guaranteed financial protection in the event of a disaster involving your home in exchange for a specific sum of money.
The home insurance policy covers the damages incurred as at the time an unforeseen and accidental event occurred at your home. Getting a home insurance policy is necessary and important.

Having home insurance in place gives you a certain guarantee whenever an unexpected event occurs. As a homeowner, you benefit from having a homeowner insurance policy and such benefits are:

  1. Premium Protection: Unexpected events arise on a daily basis and most times can’t be controlled. As a homeowner with an insurance policy, your home is protected whenever a situation arises like theft, damage and storm. It could also cover other parts of your home like the garage.
  2. Protection From Natural Disasters: Opting for a home insurance plan provides your home protection from natural disasters as your home can be restored to its former state without the expenses putting a dent in your pocket. It covers disasters like earthquakes, floods and storms in exchange for a specified amount of money.
  3. It saves you the stress of worrying whenever unforeseen circumstances occur because you are rest assured your home insurance claim would cover the expenses when you ask for it.
  4. Coverage Of Valuable Assets: An home insurance policy does not only protect the structure of your home. It also covers the damages made to your valuable assets and belongings as of the time of the occurrence.

Who is a Home Insurance Claim Adjuster?

You might be wondering who a home insurance claim adjuster is, what they do and if they help homeowners? One of the things you need to know is that if you have your home insured and you have filed for a claim, you should expect a home insurance claim adjuster to visit your home so as to inspect the damages that occurred. They ensure that the claims you make are not unnecessary or outrageous but that the claims are true and legitimate.

What does a Home Insurance Claim Adjuster do?

They have the responsibility of gathering the necessary evidence needed to estimate the extent of the damage done to the home and how much the insurance company owes you. They serve as the middleman between the insurer (insurance company) and the insured (homeowner). They make a settlement on behalf of the insurance company with you. They might need to do a proper inspection of your home, check the necessary documents and receipts, interview witnesses, take a statement of how the incident happened and also check the police report if they are available.

Well, home insurance claim adjusters help you and your insurance company reach an agreement concerning the claim but it is necessary to know they don’t work for you and probably don’t have your interest at heart as they don’t represent you but they work for the insurance company and might want to work in favour of the insurance company. Their job is mainly to calculate the lowest possible claim for the insurance company so what you get might not be the amount you initially expected.

Secrets and Tactics of Home Insurance Claim Adjusters

A home insurance claim adjuster does not represent you or work for you, they work for the insurer to inspect the damages done on the insured property. There are secrets and tactics of home insurance claim adjusters you must know so you can know and not be a victim. These tactics are mostly not in favour of the insured, but a lack of proper knowledge makes homeowners fall victim to their tactics.
When dealing with a home insurance claim adjuster, you have to be properly informed as their tactics are aimed at devaluing your claim and using your weaknesses against you to the advantage of the insurance company. The secrets and tactics to watch out for are:

  1. They talk you into admitting faults: Home insurance claim adjusters are professionals and have several years of expertise. When they visit your home to check the extent of the damage done, they try to ask you questions that might confuse you and make you admit you’re at fault partially or fully which makes them charge your claim less than they should be charged.
  2. Delays: As at the time of the incident, homeowners file for their claim so that their property can be restored but home insurance claim adjusters can take a long time to reach an agreement concerning the amount to be paid as a claim by the insurance company which frustrates the effort of the homeowners and would, in turn, want to settle for less because of delays and denials.
  3. Undervalued claim: Home insurance claim adjusters represent the company and not you, so they would in no doubt work in favour of the insurer and try to undervalue your claim by cutting out expenses they feel are not necessary just so it can benefit the insurer.
  4. Another tactic used by home insurance claim adjusters is by finding a mistake or a missing clause in your home insurance policy that can be used against you to avoid paying for the damages caused by unexpected events. Most homeowners might not be properly informed about what is included and what is not included in their policy and the agents of the insurer are always on the lookout to find out what the policy covers and what it doesn’t cover so that fewer claims can be paid.
  5. Inconvenient Deadlines: An inconvenient deadline could make any homeowner want to settle for a lesser claim than not receiving any claim. This is a tactic used by home insurance claim adjusters so that homeowners can accept what they are offered without a choice and this is done to often scare homeowners.
  6. Home insurance claim adjusters would give you every reason and tell you why you should not hire an attorney. As a homeowner, if you feel you don’t understand the claim process or the claim offered is ridiculously low, it is better to hire an attorney that can represent you with your best interest at heart.
  7. Irrelevant Documentations: They ask for unnecessary documents, reports and receipts they know you probably do not possess which could lead to delays. They eve6 use those reports to undervalue your claim.
  8. Acting Like They Care: Home insurance claim adjusters really don’t care as they only act as the middleman and represent the insurance company and you. They act like they are your friend so you can be free around them and let your guard down so they identify your weaknesses and use them against you.
  9. False Promises: They make false promises to you on behalf of the insurance company so you can believe they are on your side which they would most likely not fulfil or pay for.

Tips on How to Deal with a Home Insurance Claim Adjuster

Having proper knowledge about home insurance claim adjusters is good but knowing how to deal with them in such situations is better. It is better to be tactical and prepare ahead to know how to respond and when to respond to your weaknesses would not be spotted and used against you.

  • Never admit being at fault.
  • Do not accept undervalued claims.
  • Be patient even if the process might take longer.
  • Be polite but never be too close to your home insurance claim adjuster.
  • Make sure you have all the necessary documents as they might be requested.
  • Make sure to hire an attorney to avoid being cheated on.

It is very important for homeowners to opt for a home insurance policy that wouldn’t only protect the structure but also the valuable asset that is in the home, they should be well educated about what their insurance policy covers and what it doesn’t cover and should avoid falling victims to home insurance claim adjusters.

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