Posted on August 17, 2024
ICHQ | Site Author
While there are many advantages to living in New Orleans, the region’s frequent thunderstorms, tropical storms, and hurricanes is not one of them. To the contrary, storm damage is a problem that just about every Louisiana resident has dealt with at one point in their lives. And there is often nothing more frustrating than filing a claim and then waiting weeks–or even months–to hear back from your insurance company. If you want to help yourself and your family in this process, one thing you can do is work with an experienced New Orleans storm damage lawyer. You might think a lawyer is unnecessary or that having an attorney might even provoke the insurance company into denying your claim, but there are many advantages to working with a property damage insurance claim lawyer.
A Lawyer Can Help You Assess Your Damages
It may seem obvious, but the first step in filing any storm damage claim is to assess the damage itself. This is often more difficult than it sounds. For one thing, you may not be able to identify all of the damage.
A qualified property damage insurance claim lawyer knows how to handle this situation. Lawyers do not work alone. They know how to employ other experienced professionals, such as contractors and public adjusters, who understand the process of properly documenting storm damage. Having such a team can help ensure you do not miss out on full compensation simply because you failed to properly document all of your losses.
A Lawyer Can Explain Your Insurance Policy
Few people ever sit down and read through their entire insurance policy. Such an attitude is understandable–insurance contracts are written by lawyers for lawyers–but it can also put you at a disadvantage when it comes to actually filing a claim. Most policies contain exclusions that can render your claim dead in the water without you even realizing it. This is where an insurance claims lawyer often proves essential. They can explain the policy to you and help you avoid exclusions and other pitfalls.
A Lawyer Can Fight for Your Rights
People often put too much trust in their insurance company. By that, we mean there is a misplaced assumption of loyalty. After all, you pay your premiums every month on time, so you naturally expect the insurance company will have your back when something happens. Unfortunately, that is not how the system works.
At the end of the day, insurance companies are mostly for-profit businesses that seek to maximize their own value at the expense of their policyholders. That is why insurance adjusters will often play hardball with homeowners filing storm damage claims. The insurer’s goal is to “negotiate” as little compensation as possible.
An insurance claims lawyer, in contrast, is only there to fight for your right to maximum compensation under your policy and the law. This means that an insurer can not only negotiate a better settlement on your behalf, but they can also take the insurance company to court if they refuse to cooperate.
If you need help filing or pursuing a storm damage claim from an experienced New Orleans insurance claim lawyer, contact Insurance Claim HQ today to schedule a free claim evaluation.
