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How do I dispute a partial denial of a homeowners insurance claim? |
There was a hail storm in our area and may (most) homes had roof damage, including mine. 95% of the homes in my subdivision have gotten new roofs from homeowners insurance claims. However, my adjuster said my roof was not damaged "enough" to warrant a new roof, only repair/patching to the back side of the roof. I have Allstate and so do several neighbors. Their claims were paid, in full, with now questions asked. The difference between my claim and theirs is the adjuster. They all had a different one than me. I have called and written the main office locally and the corporate office in Illinois, to no avail. They tell me my only recourse is to take them to court. Each claim is paid according to it's merit. Each claim is different and has a different set of conditions. It is unfair to compare your damage to the damage of your neighbors because the damage is NEVER identical, and sometimes, the policy is different, and THAT is what determines what and how your claim gets paid. Whether it's Allstate, Farmers, State Farm, Joe Blow down the street--the 1st method of repair is just that, repair. If your roof can be fixed by repairing the damaged portion, that is what they pay for. If the only way to "repair" the roof is to pay for an entire new roof then they will pay for a new roof. Your roof would need to be so far beyond repair as a result of the harmful event that it would be cheaper to replace it with new than to repair it. Look at it like this.....your child is playing soccer with his friends and your kid kicks the ball and it hits your neighbors car denting the bumper. You tell your neighbor you will pay to repair the bumper. Your neighbor wants you to pay for a new bumper. What do you do? Which would you pay for? Most likely you'll pay for the repair because 1) it's repairable and 2) it's less expensive to repair a bumper than replace it with a brand new one. Insurance is to cover items that are damaged as a result of a covered loss. Insurance is NOT a means of maintaining your home. By no means am I suggesting you haven't properly maintained your home, but what I am suggesting is for you to put this in the proper perspective. Knowing Allstate as well as I know them, I'm seriously surprised your letters to Northbrook have fallen on deaf ears. You could take them to court, but you would need to PROVE your roof was beyond repair AS A RESULT OF THE HAIL STORM and nothing else. You can file a complaint with the Department of Insurance in your state, but they won't get Allstate to pay for a new roof. What they will do is investigate how YOUR claim, and YOUR CLAIM ONLY, was handled and if they find your claim was mishandled then Allstate could suffer some serious fines. But it still won't get you a new roof. From what you write, your claim was paid. You just didn't get what you thought you were supposed to. I strongly suggest you read your homeowners policy. Look and see if you have a "Right to Appraisal" clause. If you have one, use it. Source(s): Former Allstate adjuster unfortunatley they are probably right. the adjuster has the decision power...you can try calling the insurance commissioner in your area and file a complaint. if you cannot get them to replace the roof, be sure you have something in writing as to the damage, and repairs, so that if you have a leak in the future you can bring the same adjuster back out to re-evaluate it under the same claim so you do not have to file another one. keep the adjusters name, phone number and claim number with your records! Your best bet is to get 3 or 4 estimates from contractors that say you have damage where the adjuster said you did not. If you submit this to Allstate, they will have to either inspect the roof again, or call the contractor to verify. If a contractor can back up their claim of hail damage, than you have an option to use an arbitrator. The arbitrator is an objective 3rd party, that will look at your side and Allstate's side. What ever they decide is the final word. Most all homeowners policies have the option to use an arbitrator. Former claims rep, current insurance agent. In your state there has to be a place were you can report what you Inc. company is doing and what you can do. 1 year ago I myself finally got my money from a break in that happen 2 years ago. A Teacher at my work told me about chamber of commerce and they will get you a phone number for you can file a formal complaint. I did and as soon as I sent copys and recipints of everything . It took 2weeks for me to get our money. |
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