How Insurance Claims are Processed
After a loss, or property damage, is reported to the insurance company, the claims department will first call their very own adjusters to assess the damages and provide an estimate on the cost to restore the damage. Sometimes, the insurance will recommend a contractor for you or you might be able to choose your own to complete the work. Wise contractors have worked with adjusters from a multitude of insurance companies and understand how adjusters come up with their estimates in order to help better estimate the final costs and get the best value.
It’s important that your contractor be in attendance when your adjuster comes to inspect the property. While Classic will never overstep or attempt to argue with the adjuster, we will help with the formalities of the meeting and ensure that you get the coverage you need based on the assessment. Our expertise in terms of damage is crucial to getting repairs covered, though the insurance adjuster will ultimately decide what damage is and is not covered by the policy.
The Estimation Process
The estimate process for a storm damage claim is fairly simple! Your adjuster will begin by walking the site and documenting the damage thoroughly and log all of the details into software so that it is well documented. Because adjusters work within the framework of the insurance companies, most expert contractors know exactly the types of constraints that they need to work within to make their estimation as accurate as possible.
Classic Construction & Restoration, Inc uses the Xactimate software, which helps us create a bid that is likely to match the insurance company’s assessment. Our estimators deliver the bids directly to our clients so they can submit the estimate with their claim to the insurance company.
How Multiple Bids Can Cost You More
Clients will often get multiple bids from different companies to find the best price. Classic is priced fairly and in-line with industry standards, but oftentimes come back higher than competing bids – because we’ve been more thorough in our inspection and will seek to restore an entire structure, not just the cosmetic portion of the damage. We will also justify the full bid to the adjuster so the client doesn’t have to.
While insurance companies are not trying to cheat you out of compensation, they also want to keep their costs at a minimum. When presented with multiple bids, insurance company will always choose to go with the lowest one. This might in turn hurt you if further damages is discovered during the repairing process. Since the insurance company has already agreed to the (lowest) bid, they will not be responsible for any extra compensation that was not presented on the original bid.
Conclusion
It can be difficult to find a partner that you trust to ensure that your insurance claim provides the best case scenario to restore your property back to normal. By understanding the general process, it should help you be better prepared for discussions with your insurance company and any expert storm restoration contractors that would best fit your needs. Classic Construction & Restoration, Inc has the expertise to guide you through an insurance claim to make sure your damage is fairly covered, provided you call us BEFORE you file that claim! Call for a free estimate today!