A property damage insurance claim may arise from any situation that causes damage to your property, including the following:

• Houses;
• Motor vehicles;
• Boats;
• Business property; and
• Rental property.

Insurance claims may arise when any personal property is damaged. There are many possible causes of property damage, including these:

• Fires;
• Floods;
• Storms;
• Car and boat accidents; and
• Property damage caused by others.

In many of these cases, you can submit a claim to your insurance company for repair or replacement costs. However, insurance companies do not always cooperate. The Ashford DiMartino insurance law blog seeks to provide useful information to help policyholders understand their options when insurers don’t meet their obligations.

However, we recommend that policyholders consult with an attorney to discuss the specifics of their claims and cases. Having an attorney’s assistance with insurance claims can make the process easier and help policyholders recover the payments to which they are entitled under their insurance policy.

Your insurance policy may include instructions for submitting a claim after you experience property damage. However, filing a claim can often be initiated in several ways, including calling the insurance company, sending a claim via email, or using the company’s website.

Once you file the claim, an insurance company adjuster will take the lead on your case. The adjuster will review the damage themselves or send an expert. Once the adjuster has reviewed the damage, he or she will provide you with a proposed amount to compensate you for your loss. Property damage lawyers can help you determine if the insurance company is treating you unfairly and, if so, explain what avenues are available to get the compensation you’re entitled to.

Despite an insurance policy being in place, insurance companies don’t always meet the obligations covered by those policies. Insurance companies must act in good faith when handling an insured’s claims, treating each claim fairly. However, insurance companies sometimes act in bad faith, which can include the following:

• Treating their insureds unfairly;
• Failing to cooperate during the claims process;
• Failing to evaluate and fairly pay for the losses;
• Failing to perform the claim process in a reasonable time and ensure the claim payout is not unreasonably delayed.

When an insurance company wrongfully denies a claim, acts in bad faith, or otherwise acts unfairly, you may be able to hold them responsible for damages on top of the original claim payout.

These additional damages compensate you for financial losses arising from the incorrectly handled claim, including attorney’s fees. Bad faith claims are among the topics we will discuss further in this insurance law blog.

For specific cases, contact our experienced property damage lawyers to help recover the insurance payments you deserve and hold your insurance company accountable in damages for any bad faith in handling your claim.

Unfortunately, you may need to bring a lawsuit against your insurance company for failing to properly handle or honor your claim. When an insurance company breaches the insurance policy, any lawsuit pursued will be based on contract law.

To have a valid lawsuit and recover damages, you must initiate the lawsuit within the period of time allowed under the applicable statute of limitations. These time frames may differ depending on the state:

• Indiana has a two-year statute of limitations under Indiana Code § 34-11-2-4;
  
• Florida has a five-year statute of limitations under Stat. § 624.155; and
• Illinois has a ten-year statute of limitations under 735 ILCS 5/13-206.

It is important to properly file your lawsuit on time to remain eligible to recover damages. For help properly bringing a lawsuit against your insurance company to recover the policy proceeds you’re entitled to, contact knowledgeable property damage lawyers.