If you want to file a personal homeowners claim then the first thing that you would need to do is acquire the services of a licensed contractor which has the right level of expertise that guarantees having what it takes to take care of your home.
Hiring a contractor for insurance claim can be done by you and your insurance company can also recommend one for you and this is why we have decided to share with you some of our thoughts and tips.
There are several things your licensed home contractor should be able to provide you with and they include written estimate of cost of labor, materials and also what kind of work that needs to be done. They would also provide you with the time frame for the work to be completed, number of liability insurance company, license number and also the amount the insurance carries. They would also provide you with their years of experience and what guarantees their work.
Hiring A Contractor For Insurance Claim
Contractors would be able to guarantee what their work is using a specific period of time and in the course of this, they would return to make repairs without placing an extra charge. However, if you go the other route and pick a contractor that was recommended by your insurance company then your insurance company should be able to guarantee the work of the contractor but whichever way you choose to go, just make sure that all guarantees are put into writing.
If your insurance company is able to figure out what it would cost to repair your property then it is up to your general contractor to start negotiations with your insurer and if they fail to come to an agreement then the person to pay for the differences falls back to you. If your contractor requests for an upgrade while doing his work then ensure first that you have a perfect understanding of your insurance coverage before the work gets started.
If work done exceeds the cost of taking your property back to what it used to be may be responsible for the difference in costs but one fact that you need to be aware of is that in some cases, upgrades tends to spring up when trying to make sure that your home matches present building codes. This is why your contractor is expected to work with your insurance agent just to make sure that you have the right insurance coverage.
A lot of us are already used or have the mindset of getting things done by ourselves but when the time for filing a homeowners claim for damages comes, you have to make sure every work done is done up to code and carried out correctly and perfectly. The smartest idea that you should implement is hiring a contractor to handle your insurance claims.
One aspect where homeowners seemed to be more concerned is if hiring a contractor for insurance claims is going to in any way raise their insurance rates or coverage and the truth is at any point in time, the insurance company can choose to go through your claims history and based on that history, they would come to a conclusion if they should adjust your insurance rates or discontinue it.
Finally, there are people referred to as storm chasers and these are the set of people that you should be wary of. Storm chasers tend to go from house to house and door to door claiming to offer free advice and inspections on how homeowners can obtain storm damage coverage under your homeowners insurance policy. You should be careful with these people because they might not have the right kind of experience or might just be working under a licensed contractor and this contractor might not have set eyes on your property before.
If you want to verify that a licensed contractor has insurance you can go ahead and check for his phone number, agent name and insurance carrier. You can look this up on the internet or in a phone-book and you can also contact the company or agent to ask for certification proving that the contractor really has insurance with them.
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