Filing an insurance claim can be a stressful experience if you aren’t prepared for the process. On top of dealing with the incident that is the reason for the claim—whether that is a vehicle accident or some damage occurring to your home—you are also now facing paperwork and a process that you are probably not familiar with.
A good insurance agent like Superior Insurance and Auto Tags will be there for you to help guide you through filing your claim and the claims adjustment process, so it’s important to work with and communicate openly with your agent. But it can also help to know what to expect between the time you file and the time the claim is resolved. Here’s a step by step guide to the basics of claims adjustment:
- Contacting your insurance agent
The first step to the claims adjustment process is to connect with your insurance agent, who is your point of contact with the insurance company you have your policy with. It’s important to call your agent as soon as possible, because there may be advice or steps they will give you to take that can help in resolving your claim—for example, collecting or preserving evidence of the damage. Once you’ve gone over the details of the incident and a description of the loss, damage, or injury that occurred, your agent will have an insurance claims adjustor follow up with you.
- Investigating the claim
In order for your insurance company to determine whether your loss or damage is covered by your policy, they will have to investigate what happened and also assess the extent of the damage. This will involve an insurance adjustor calling you to gather information and most likely coming out to look at your car or house. In this step, you should also provide any evidence you have collected, like pictures from the scene of an accident, the contact information of any witnesses, or other evidence that can support your claim.
- Reviewing your policy
Now that the adjustor understands what happened, how it was caused, and what the damage is, he or she will compare that information against your policy to see whether it is covered and, if so, to what extent. It’s important to keep your insurance policy current and to know what’s covered, since the insurance company can only provide you with compensation for losses that occurred due to covered reasons—called “perils” in homeowners’ insurance policies—and during your policy’s coverage period. In other words, if you let your policy lapse and an incident occurs during the lapse, you may be stuck without any coverage for the loss. Based on this review, the insurance company will determine whether to approve or deny your claim.
- Figuring out the damage
If the insurance company determines that your damage is covered, the next step is to establish how much it will cost to repair or make good on the loss. Sometimes an adjustor will call on experts to give a professional estimate—for example, a contractor may be asked to estimate how much it will cost to repair damage to your roof. The adjustor will also most likely give you suggestions for professionals you can hire to complete the repairs. You can still go with your own contractor, mechanic, or other professional, but if you don’t have someone in mind, it can save you time to have a list from the adjustor to check out.
- Paying up
The last step of the process—provided your claim is approved—is receiving payment from the insurance company to cover the loss or damage you experienced.
Every claim is different, but knowing the basic steps involved can help put your mind at ease if you ever have to file a claim. Another thing that can put your mind at ease is working with an expert insurance agent who will help you find the best policy for you. Give Superior Insurance and Auto Tags a call today to get started!