Chicago Homeowners Insurance Claims Attorney

We all get introduced to Homeowners Insurance when we buy our first home and have to find it before the closing. For most of us, it goes into escrow and gets paid with our monthly mortgage payment, and we never think of it again – until we have homeowners insurance claims. That’s when you may need an experienced Chicago homeowners insurance claims attorney.

Don’t Just Accept the First Offer

Insurance companies make money from selling policies, not from paying claims. Therefore, making your claim can be complicated and will require lots of documentation and forms. Make sure that documentation includes photos of the damage and any bills, etc., that you’ve already paid. If your claim has several exceptionally complicated issues, or you’re just not comfortable filing it on your own, consider consulting an experienced Chicago homeowners insurance claims attorney.

Why Was My Claim Denied?

Insurance companies deny homeowners insurance claims for a lot of reasons. Some of the more common reasons include:

The claim is not covered under policy – make sure you understand precisely what your policy does and does not cover
Negligence – if you don’t take care of your home, your insurance company won’t do it for you. If someone else was negligent, then their insurance should pay
You waited too long – your policy undoubtedly has a time limit for filing a claim; you should not miss it.
Insufficient coverage – if your claim exceeds the coverage limit, it may be denied and certainly won’t pay any more than the limits.
The claim doesn’t exceed the deductible – you have to pay the deductible amount before the insurer has to pay anything
Indications of fraud – if it looks fishy, the company won’t cover the claim
Too little information – you have to complete the forms and explain what happened
Damage of a type not covered – for example, homeowners insurance generally doesn’t cover flood damage

What to Do When You’re Denied

If you think your homeowners’ insurance company denied your claims unfairly, it’s not always a good idea to try to handle it on your own.

Review your policy. Make sure you’ve dotted your I’s and crossed your t’s and that your claim is covered and over the deductible.

Reread the denial letter. Did the adjuster make any mistakes?

Gather up all your documentation and prepare to visit an experienced Chicago homeowners insurance claims attorney. Your first consultation is free, but the attorney will want to see all your documentation.

If the Denial Really Was Unfair, Contact a Chicago Homeowners Insurance Claims Attorney

When an insurance company denies a claim in bad faith, the denial can result in significant damages against the insurance company. You will want to make sure your attorney understands if you think your denial was in bad faith. An experienced Chicago homeowners insurance attorney will have a good grasp of the homeowner’s insurance claims issues that arise in Chicago and will also likely be familiar with the attorneys on the other side. Don’t give up at the first unacceptable offer or the denial letter – let legal counsel help you win the day.

Chicago Homeowners Insurance Claims Attorney