Understanding the Claim Process

Understanding the Claims Process

For most people that experience a disaster: it’s their first time. Navigating through insurance companies’ claims processes can be tricky and downright confusing. Quite honestly, you need all the help you can get. For more than 22 years, Disaster Kleenup has been working with property owners helping them to navigate through the insurance claims process quickly and efficiently. Because this may be your first experience in submitting and working through a claim, Disaster Kleenup offers the following step-by-step guide to help make it easier.

1. Submit your claim: This can be accomplished through your insurance agent and often through a select representative of your insurance provider.  Submitting a claim may be done several different ways, including over the telephone and submission over the Internet. In most cases, it’s best to speak with your agent who will then provide you direction and in some cases submit a claim on your behalf.
2. Property adjuster assigned: Following the submission and filing of a claim you will be assigned a property loss adjuster. While this is the most common scenario, it may not always be the case. As stated earlier, various insurance companies’ claims processes are often different.  However it’s pretty standard to have the assigned property adjuster meet you at your home or property to inspect the damage, and then move forward with settling the claim and restoring your property.
3. Look into your insurance policy: It’s very important that you understand your insurance policy.  One of the often overlooked items within a property policy is the responsibility of the property owner to prevent further damage from occurring to the property. With that said, it becomes the policy holder’s responsibility to communicate with the insurance carrier, and if necessary, submit a claim without delay. Because your property may not be habitable, and additional costs may be incurred for food, lodging, etc., it’s important to keep track of all associated expenses. These expenses will often have to be submitted as part of the claim for reimbursement.
4. Disaster Kleenup takes it from here: Understand that in most cases, it takes time for your claim to be processed and settled. Depending on the complexity of the loss and the items that were damaged, your claim may take as little as a few days to several months to go through.  Regardless of the complexities involved in your claim, when Disaster Kleenup is on the job you can be assured your claim will be processed as quickly and efficiently as possible.   We work with your insurance provider on every aspect of your claim to help save time and assist in expediting the repair process so that your property can be returned to pre-loss condition as soon as possible.
5. The work is finished – now what? When the repair process is winding down and restoration is nearing completion you may be wondering about billing and how it is handled. In most cases, the restoration contractor will be paid directly by your insurance provider. As with most other processes, every insurance provider is different.  In some instances, a check may be issued with the property or home owner’s name on it. In this situation, you are responsible for payment to the restoration contractor upon completion of the work.

Ultimately, your insurance provider may hold you responsible for paying your deductible, which is usually collected by the selected restoration contractor before work begins. Be familiar enough with your policy to ensure that the proper deductible is paid.

For more than 22 years, Disaster Kleenup has been working with property owners to help them navigate through the insurance claims process quickly and efficiently. Feel free to contact us with questions or concerns and we will see that we help you as quickly and efficiently as possible.

If you’d like more information about the insurance process, please call us at 208-887-0004, or send us your contact information and we will contact you.