
ICHQ | Site Author
Liberty Mutual is one of the large issuers of homeowner’s insurance. Unfortunately, dealing with them for a property damage claim is a real challenge. Liberty, like all insurers, tries to maximize their profits, and they have denied many claims, even after serious storms cause massive damage.
Insurance Claim HQ is your friendly, experienced law firm helping people with Liberty Mutual denials. Our legal team knows how to contest the denial and submit additional information to bolster your claim. It’s possible to win an appeal or even prevail in a lawsuit.
Please call our offices today after your home insurance claim is denied to schedule a consultation.
Below, we identify the steps homeowners should take.
Step #1: Identify Why Was Hour Home Insurance Claim Denied
Liberty Mutual should have sent a notice telling you why they denied your claim. The notice should spell out in detail with direct reference to your insurance policy, quoting language where appropriate. Find your denial letter. If you have questions, you can contact your Claims Representative at Liberty Mutual, although they will probably point you in the direction of the letter.
Some common reasons for denials include:
- Lapsed insurance coverage. You might have missed premium payments, which means your coverage has lapsed, or Liberty chose not to renew your policy.
- Late filing. You have a deadline for filing an insurance claim. You might have waited too long.
- Failure to mitigate damage. Insurers generally require that policyholders take reasonable steps to keep damage from worsening. You might have failed to do something simple, like turn off the water at the first sign of a pipe burst.
- Lack of evidence or unproved loss. You need to prove that you have suffered a loss. Some homeowners fail to provide enough supporting evidence, so Liberty Mutual denies the claim.
- Policy exclusions (the damage isn’t covered). For example, your damage could result from floodwaters, which are not covered by your homeowner’s insurance.
- Misrepresentation or fraud in your claim. You might have reported inaccurate information as part of your claim or even when you took out the policy. Liberty Mutual might cancel your policy when they discover evidence of fraud. Although some mistakes are innocent, you can expect Liberty Mutual to claim you intentionally misled them.
Reading your denial letter is critical because you need to address the reason for the denial. For example, they might claim that you damaged your house, not a storm. In that situation, you’ll need to find evidence to rebut the claim.
Step #2: Find Relevant Evidence
The evidence you need will depend on the reasons your claim was denied. One reason to work with a law firm like Insurance Claim HQ is that we can easily pinpoint what evidence is useful when appealing a denial.
For example, the insurance company might claim that your damage was caused by floodwater, which is not covered in your homeowner’s insurance. To rebut that claim, you will need evidence that shows high winds caused the damage. The winds might have toppled a tree, which ended up bursting a pipe.
In other cases, the insurer might claim you haven’t supported your loss with adequate evidence. You might need to submit photographs of damaged items, as well as an inventory of damage. A video of the damage is also helpful. This type of supporting documentation helps strengthen your claim to compensation.
Talk with an attorney. We have ideas for how to find helpful evidence. Some homeowner’s claims are very complex. An insurance company might agree that you have suffered hail or wind damage but contest the age of that damage. In other words, they think the damage happened before you got insurance coverage. We might need to work with an expert to assess when the damage happened to your home.
Step #3: File an Appeal
Liberty Mutual should tell you how to request an appeal. They will also tell you the deadline. You must follow the proper procedure for appealing Liberty Mutual denials.
If you are unsure of what to do, call your Claims Representative. They can walk you through the necessary steps.
Step #4: Hire an Attorney
A property damage lawyer is an excellent asset to have when trying to bring an appeal. Our legal team can provide personal assistance with:
- Policy interpretation. The legalese is dense and hard for most people to comprehend. Liberty Mutual might have interpreted their insurance policy unfairly, depriving you of compensation. We can fully review your insurance policy to see if a claim is covered.
- Documentation. We will help gather the necessary documentation in support of a claim. We might even work with experts, like building engineers, to really understand the damage to your property.
- Paperwork and communication. Liberty Mutual might request that you fill out forms or provide documents. We can do all this work for you. You shouldn’t be bothered.
- Negotiation. It’s possible to negotiate with an insurance company like Liberty Mutual, even after they have denied a claim. Our objective is to get them to approve the claim for fair compensation.
Schedule a consultation so we can discuss all the services we offer clients.
Step #5: Contact the Louisiana Department of Insurance
When Liberty Mutual won’t budge, you can submit a complaint to the state’s Department of Insurance. You will need your claim number, insurance card, and policy information. You should also provide the name of your agent and adjuster.
This Department of Insurance regulates the insurance industry. They might be able to help. As they state on their website, they can’t act as a judge in these types of cases, but they could put pressure on Liberty if the insurance company is acting unreasonably. Liberty Mutual might take a fresh look at your case so that they stay on the right side of regulators.
Step #6: Participate in Mediation
This is an option for all types of disputes, including insurance claims. The lawyers at Insurance Claim HQ have represented countless clients in mediation. We can meet with a neutral mediator to talk about our disagreement with Liberty Mutual.
Sometimes the mediator can help clarify what’s really in dispute and can propose possible resolutions. Mediation is voluntary in the sense that you can accept or reject the mediator’s recommendations.
Step #7: File a Lawsuit: The End of the Road for Liberty Mutual Denials
If negotiation and/or mediation fail, then your last resort is to file a lawsuit against the company. An insurance agreement is a legally enforceable contract. If your insurer has behaved unreasonably, we might also allege bad faith on their part.
We can seek full compensation for your losses under the insurance policy. So if your property damage is $200,000, we will request that much (provided your policy covers at least $200,000).
Where Liberty Mutual has acted in bad faith, we can ask for even more compensation.
Typically, our firm continues to keep lines of communication open with insurance companies, all with the goal of reaching a settlement that works for everyone. And we’ve been very successful: our firm has obtained millions for property owners!
Call Insurance Claim HQ Today
The above is a general overview of the steps homeowners should take after a denial, but every situation is different. Some appeals go smoothly, with the insurance company backtracking and approving a claim. Other complex cases require that we dig in and fight for you.
Let’s get to work on your case to determine what caused your damage and how much you are entitled to under the terms of your insurance policy. Call us today to schedule a free, no-risk consultation.