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Home Insurance Repairs: What You Need to Know

Most homeowners won’t ever have to worry about filing a home insurance claim. Each year, only about 5% of those with home insurance put claims in.

But if you ever have to file a claim and make home insurance repairs, it’s very important for you to know how to go about doing it. Otherwise, you might struggle to work your way through the home insurance claim process.

Today, we’re going to talk about what you need to know if you have a home insurance policy and have to repair your home. It’ll help you take advantage of the home insurance coverage that you spend so much money on every year.

Do you have some home insurance repairs on the horizon? Here is everything you should know about having home repairs made and paid for by your insurance company.

When Can You File a Home Insurance Claim?

Technically, you can file a home insurance claim pretty much whenever you would like to do it. If damage is ever done to your home for any reason, you can put in a home insurance claim for it.

But generally speaking, you should only file a home insurance claim when it makes sense to do it. If a tree falls over in the middle of a bad storm and causes $10,000 worth of damage to your roof, that would be a good time to file a home insurance claim.

You should try to avoid filing home insurance claims and getting your insurance company to foot the bill for smaller home insurance repairs. You’ll want to tackle these types of home repairs yourself since there is a chance that your home insurance premiums could go up every time you file a claim. 

What Kinds of Home Insurance Repairs Can You Have Made?

When you file a home insurance claim, there are a whole host of home insurance repairs that you can have made. You should be aware of which repairs will be allowed under your home insurance policy by evaluating it.

More often than not, you’ll be able to make these kinds of home insurance repairs by filing a claim:

  • Repairing a roof that was damaged by a tree during a thunderstorm
  • Fixing a fence that was blown over by the wind
  • Replacing a whole house that was burned down by a fire

These are just a few of the types of home insurance repairs that you can have made. You’ll love being able to rely on your home insurance company to make them versus trying to pay for them yourself.

How Can You Go About Filing a Home Insurance Claim?

If you ever have to file a home insurance claim to try to get home insurance repairs made, you should take a deep breath. It can be a long process!

You should also make sure that you know which steps you’ll have to take as you file a home insurance claim. Here are the steps that will be involved in the claim process:

  1. Reporting damage done to your home to your local police department or fire department, if necessary
  2. Reaching out to your home insurance company to let them know you would like to file a claim
  3. Filling out the proper claim forms through your home insurance company
  4. Documenting all of the damage that was done to your home, preferably by taking a bunch of photographs
  5. Arranging to make temporary repairs to your home to stop additional damage from being done
  6. Setting up a meeting with a home insurance adjuster
  7. Getting a collection of quotes for the home insurance repairs you need to be done
  8. Securing a home insurance check and paying for the necessary home repairs

As you can see, you aren’t going to be able to complete the home insurance claim process overnight. You might not even be able to complete it within a week. You’ll have to roll your sleeves up and put some real thought into making your way through it.

How Soon Should You File a Home Insurance Claim?

Whenever possible, those who are going to file home insurance claims should do so right away. You might have trouble proving what caused the damage to your home if you wait a few days or even a few weeks to file a claim.

But you should know that you don’t have to worry about having a home insurance claim denied if you wait a little while to file it. Most home insurance companies will give you up to one year to make a claim.

How Long Does It Take to Get a Home Insurance Claim Processed?

Unfortunately, it’s a little bit difficult to answer this particular question. There really isn’t a tried-and-true rule when it comes to how long home insurance companies have to process claims.

Most home insurance companies will get on the case right away and try to process claims as quickly as they can. But others will drag their feet and take weeks, if not months, to see an insurance claim through to the end.

This is another reason why you should file a home insurance claim as soon as you can. The sooner that you’re able to get your claim in, the quicker that your insurance company will be able to begin to move through the claim process.

Is Your Home Insurance Cost Going to Increase After You File a Claim?

Filing a home insurance claim is often going to be the only way that you will be able to make the necessary home insurance repairs. You might not have enough cash on hand to, say, replace your roof when you aren’t expecting to have to do it.

But there is one downside to filing a home insurance claim. You might see your home insurance cost go up in the aftermath of a claim.

For this reason, you should be judicious when filing home insurance claims and try not to file them unless absolutely necessary. You should also be sure that you sign up for an insurance policy through the right company from the start. Some companies are better than others as far as keeping their rates low even after homeowners file claims.

What Should You Do If You Have a Home Insurance Claim Denied?

In a perfect world, every home insurance company would approve the costs associated with all home insurance repairs. People pay good money for their home insurance policies, so home insurance companies should really approve as many claims as they can.

But of course, there are times when home insurance companies will deny claims. If you ever have a claim denied, you should think about:

  • Reviewing your home insurance policy to get a better understanding of why your claim was denied
  • Filing a formal appeal of your home insurance company’s decision
  • Enlisting the services of a third-party insurance adjuster who will be impartial
  • Hiring an attorney to look a little deeper into your case to see if your claim should have been denied

It can be very frustrating when you have a home insurance claim denied. But you don’t have to allow a denial to lead to a lack of home insurance repairs.

Whom Should You Trust to Provide You With Home Insurance?

As we’ve touched on a couple of times now, it’s imperative for homeowners to have the right home insurance companies on their side. But it can be a real challenge separating the great home insurance companies from the not-so-great ones.

There are, after all, about 2,500 home insurance companies operating throughout the country at this time. This can affect people’s ability to choose the right options when they need home insurance.

Your goal when you’re shopping for home insurance should be to find a reputable company to provide you with it. You should also search for a company that has a wealth of experience and affordable home insurance rates.

But maybe above all else, the company you pick should have a simple home insurance claim process that won’t confuse you. This process will come in handy should you ever need to arrange to have home insurance repairs made.

Start Filing a Home Insurance Claim Today

Was your home damaged during a recent storm, a fire, or another catastrophic event? If it was, you should touch base with your home insurance company sooner rather than later to tell them about it.

Depending on what kind of home insurance policy you have, this company might be able to help you cover the costs of home insurance repairs. But you won’t know how they can assist you until you start filing a home insurance claim.

Contact us today for all your home insurance needs!

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