Many of us know friends and family who have lost their homes in recent fires.  If you are one who has experienced the loss, all of us at Riviera Insurance Services, LLC hope you are safe and are on your way to better days.  Understanding how to proceed with filing a claim is important. Below are some of the highlights along with two useful websites.

• Contact your insurance agent/broker.  If you do not have a complete copy of your policy, ask them to provide it.  The agent/broker will submit the claim to the insurance carrier and then the insurance company will contact you.   Keep a diary of all correspondence.
• If your home is not completely destroyed, then make reasonable temporary repairs to protect against further damage to the home. Keep receipts for all temporary repairs.
• Prepare for the meeting with the insurance company claims adjuster.  Do not expect your claim to be resolved in the first meeting.  Settling a claim is a process.  The claims adjuster should help you understand the process.  If you feel this is not happening, contact your agent/broker.  .
• Be wary of contractors, attorneys, and public adjusters who solicit you to hire them and sign documents.  Check them out.  Hiring an attorney or public adjuster will remove you from communication with your insurance company and agent/broker.  The first course of action is to work directly with the insurance company and the agent/broker.  If there are material issues you cannot resolve favorably, then a public adjuster or attorney may be a resource to help you.

One of the best resources is the California Department of Insurance.  By going to www.insurance.ca.gov , then clicking on Wildfires Consumer Information, you will find a number of helpful sections to review.

The Insurance Information Network of California at www.iinc.org  provides another great website.  The website has many helpful hints including how to create an inventory to present your claim.

Those who have been spared from the recent fires should take this opportunity to review their policies and update as necessary to prepare for any future disasters.  Reviewing construction costs and personal property values and re-evaluating your current insurance coverage may be in order.  Taking the time to do this will better prepare you for the next disaster. Your insurance agent/broker is ready and willing to help you.  If you are the next victim, the time invested will be well worth the effort.

This entry was posted on Monday, December 1st, 2008 at 4:10 am and is filed under Insurance. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.