Residential Insurance Claims Process
Without legal firepower, it's easy for insurance companies to ignore you. The best chance for a successful claim is to hire a lawyer. Arnold & Itkin has secured billions of dollars and successfully filed thousands of claims—call (888) 400-2101 or fill out our short online form for help filing yours!
The process for filing a claim should be fairly straightforward. First, you call an insurance company to report damage to your home. They will either ask you to fill out a report or will send an adjuster to assess the damage. Once the adjuster finishes up, the insurance company makes an offer to cover the damages up to your policy’s limit, and you use the money to rebuild your house.
Even if your initial claim is denied, you’d have the chance to submit an appeal where you can contest the reason for the denial. Failing that, you’d be able to file a civil suit to claim all the damages and expenses associated with the hurricane.
In an ideal world, that would be the insurance claims process:
- File the paperwork
- Receive a fair offer
- Use payout to rebuild
Unfortunately, here’s how it will usually go.
#1: The Adjuster Will Low-Ball You
The largest insurance companies use a business model that offers an initial settlement significantly lower than what you actually deserve. The idea capitalizes on the fact that you’re not an expert on property damage, so you’ll take the settlement. The catch is that once you accept the settlement, that’s it—you’ve waived your right to demand more. On the other hand, if you ask for more, your claim could be delayed. Insurance companies know most residents don’t have the money or time to wait that long.
#2: You’ll File an Appeal (That Takes Months to Resolve)
The letter of appeal is practically a legal document.
It needs to include an argument for why your claim was wrongfully denied, as well as evidence. You may need to hire independent inspectors, a public adjuster, or other professionals to document the damage and provide an alternative assessment.
#3: Your Appeal Will Be Denied (Despite Your Best Efforts)
The profits-first business model for large insurance providers means making it as expensive as possible for you to get full payment for your claim. If they’ve already denied your claim once, they’re more likely to deny it a second time—forcing you to sue them or give up. The key here is to find an attorney who has experience with insurance companies for Houston residents.
#4: You Take Them to Court & Let the Jury Decide
Despite their efforts to squash your claim, insurance companies don’t want to go to court. They know that a jury of your peers will have endured the same exact tragedies as the rest of us. We’ve represented countless claims where insurance companies played “courtroom chicken” with our clients—only to settle days before trial was scheduled to begin.
In the end, insurance companies are used to dealing with regular people who are easy to intimidate.
Having an attorney on your side means you won’t scare easy—and being Texans means we won’t quit until our neighbors get what they need. Arnold & Itkin LLP has won billions for our clients against the same insurance companies you’re facing now. More importantly, we’re from Houston—we’re facing Harvey’s damage same as you. It’s not right what the insurance companies are doing to our communities and friends, and we’re not going to let them take advantage of us.
If you haven't filed your claim yet, hiring us from the start means you'll have a stronger, more proactive process from the get-go. Our team of expert adjusters, damage assessors, and seasoned litigators pressure the insurance company to handle your claim honestly and quickly—potentially resulting in a much higher payout. Learn more about how our firm can help you (and the worth of your claim) by reaching out to us as soon as possible.
If you want to stand with us, if you want justice, and if you want the full coverage that you bought for your home, call (888) 400-2101 or contact us online for a free case consultation.