If you’ve suffered a large fire, water, or wind insurance loss, you are probably wondering, “What do I do now?”
Steps to take immediately:
- Contact your agent or claims department as soon as you can to report the claim.
- Contact a restoration contractor to begin the cleanup and to board up any holes in the building. It is important to get any water removed as soon as you can to prevent further damage. We can recommend contractors who specialize in this.
- Take pictures or video of the scene.
- Secure the premises to prevent further damage and keep people out.
What happens next?
- Usually the day after a substantial claim, you will meet with the adjuster from your insurance company. This is the person who will work with you to submit the claim and issue reimbursement checks.
- It is important to remember it is your responsibility to prove your loss to your insurance carrier. That means providing evidence (bills, receipts, estimates) of the cost to repair or replace things.
- The adjuster must approve all expenditures in order for the insurance company to pay.
- The first few days are all about the insurance company conducting an investigation into the cause (if necessary) and clean up.
- Contact a builder that you want to do the repairs and have them start writing up an estimate. This can take days and sometimes a week or two.
What sort of timeline can I expect?
Some smaller claims can be completed in a few days or weeks. Larger claims can take months and are much more complex. Below is a timeline for larger claims. It is important to remember that every claim has its own unique characteristics. The timeline below is for illustrative purposes only. Your actual timeline could be much longer.
Always feel free to contact your agent or claim representative as often as you need to. You cannot over-communicate or ask too many questions.
Day 1:
- Contact agent/carrier.
- Begin clean up/board up.
- Keep track of your time and any materials you use.
- You may need to secure other premises to house your family and/or business.
- Maintain a log of every expense you incur.
Day 2:
- The insurance company adjuster should meet with or contact you if they haven’t already.
- Continue with clean up (typically done by a contractor).
- Begin soliciting estimates from contractors for the rebuild.
- Communicate with the adjuster.
- If necessary, begin to assemble financials for the adjuster to prove your loss of income/rents.
- In some cases, Cause and Origin experts are called in to examine the scene to determine the cause. This can sometimes delay rebuilding by several days or even weeks.
- If necessary, contact an architect to begin the re-design process.
Day 3:
- Continue monitoring the cleanup.
- Ask the adjuster for an advanced payment for lost revenue, rents, or additional living expenses.
- With the adjuster’s permission, you may begin replacing damaged property.
Day 4 and beyond:
- Consistent communication with your agent and the adjuster are crucial.
- Continue to replace your damaged property and monitor the rebuild.
- There will be lots of details and things to do until the property is restored. Be sure to track and document your time and any expense you incur.
Other items to remember:
- It is your property and you control the restoration process.
- You can choose anyone you want to complete the repairs – as long as they can do it at a cost agreed to by the adjuster.
- You must prove your loss to the adjuster (bills, records, receipts).
- Get the adjuster’s approval before spending any money.
- Document your time.
- Communicate with your agent frequently.
The Claims Department at Hausmann-Johnson Insurance deals with these situations routinely, and we will be by your side, advocating on your behalf all the way through the process. It can be a very emotional journey to take, but rest assured you will not have to go through it alone - an HJI representative will meet with you often and walk you through each step. We will make the claim process go as smoothly as it can and will keep you informed along the way.
If you have questions about our Claims Management services, feel free to contact us anytime.
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