Property owners, homeowners and renters all carry insurance to protect themselves should a natural disaster occur. Most reach out to their insurance companies in a time of extreme need after paying on their policies for years. For that reason, claimants should be familiar with the warning signs that they may be dealing with a bad faith insurer.
Warning signs of a bad faith insurer
When a property owner has had an insurance claim denied, it can have devastating consequences for them. It is helpful for property owners to be familiar with what to watch for to determine if they are dealing with a bad faith insurer including:
- The insurance carrier fails to respond to the insurance claim or evidence submitted supporting the claim;
- The insurance carrier continues to seek additional materials from the insured when the materials have no relation to the claim being made;
- The insurance carrier continues to delay sending an adjuster to the property for an inspection;
- The insurance carrier’s adjuster for the insurance carrier fails to conduct a thorough inspection of the property impacted by the damage;
- The insurance carrier’s adjuster arrives for an inspection but insists a specific element of damages will not be covered for a particular storm;
- The insurance carrier’s adjuster documents the damages but then another adjuster is assign without any reason provided;
- The insurance carrier sends an engineer to the property to fight causation rather than sending an adjuster to determine damages;
- The insurance carrier continually assigns new adjusters to the claim who are always familiarizing themselves with the file;
- The insured receives a small payment for damages then a series of additional checks;
- The insured receives a series of letters providing additional excuses for denying the claim or underpaying the claim.
A bad faith insurance claim may be able to help protect the insured when their insurance claim has been denied. Property owners should be familiar with how they may be able to fight a denied insurance claim and obtain the coverage they need for their claim.