3 minute read
DISASTER BLASTER
Provided by Disaster Blaster
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When you experience damage to your home, you want it to be properly mitigated and repaired as quickly as possible. Perhaps even more important, however – you want to make sure your insurance company is paying for it! { }
And that can cause a bit of frustration, as insurance companies can sometimes drag their feet when confirming coverage or outlining what specific coverages are applicable to your claim.
This can create significant delays and a tremendous amount of unease and confusion for homeowners and business owners. So what happens when your insurance company won’t confirm coverage, and what are your options and responsibilities? Let’s take a look.
You are obligated to mitigate timely
Your insurance company will likely stress you’re obligated under your policy to act as quickly as possible to address the damage that occurred. This is important, as further damage may be your responsibility. This is why emergency work, such as water damage mitigation and boardup services, is regularly approved and performed without an estimate being prepared beforehand. However, we completely understand your concern if you want to confirm coverage first. It’s perfectly reasonable for a homeowner to feel uncomfortable writing a blank check, not knowing if their insurance company will ultimately pay for the work being performed. While we can often contact the insurance company to verify coverage and receive approval for the emergency service work, sometimes the company is unable to do so right away.
Your insurance company should confirm coverage quickly When you experience an insurance claim, your insurance company’s primary job is to confir m coverage and pay for the work being performed. Most companies and adjusters strive to do just that and fully understand your hesitation to pr oceed with costly work without first knowing the work is cover ed by your policy.
Once coverage is confirmed, the work should be able to progress without fear of an unexpected out-of-pocket cost. Qualified mitigation and restoration contractors will be able to work with your company to seek the necessary approvals and provide any required documentation in order to facilitate the process.
While uncommon, sometimes things fall through the cracks, and the insurance company fails to make a timely coverage determination. Sometimes they may even require an inspection by a field adjuster before coverage can be confirmed.
Your company will expect you to proceed with the mitigation services in the meantime and without knowing if the work is covered. This can be a scary thought for a homeowner or business owner, and that’s completely understandable. As a result, we strongly recommend actively following up with your adjuster for a coverage decision.
What can you do if your insur ance company isn’t making a coverage determination?
If you don’t feel you’re getting anywhere with your insurance company and your mitigation company has been unable to confirm coverage with them, there are a few steps you can take.
1) Contact your local insurance agent to see if they can help. 2) Escalate your concerns to your adjuster’s supervisor. 3) Request assistance from your state’s Department of Insurance. 4) Hire a public adjuster to r epresent you.
W e hope this infor mation was helpful in answering some common concerns about insurance coverage. If we can ever be of any assistance, please do not hesitate to contact our of fices.
About Disaster Blaster Disaster Blaster is an indoor envir onmental fir m ser ving the Northeastern PA Area. We have been providing our local area with unparalleled water damage mitigation, mold remediation, asbestos abatement, radon mitigation, basement waterpr oofing, and fire / smoke restoration services for decades, and are proud to have been named The World’s Greatest Indoor Environmental Fir m. For more about Disaster Blaster, as well as more helpful tips, please visit our website at: www.disasterblaster.com or call our office at (570) 963-1123.
