When a fire, flood or storm sweeps through your home or business, it’s not just your personal possessions that are turned upside down; these events can also wreak havoc on your life and finances.
If you have never experienced a property loss, you might expect your insurance company to step up and act in your best interest after collecting the premiums you diligently paid year after year.
Sadly, the reality rarely lives up to that ideal, and victims of property loss are forced to look out for themselves as their insurer denies a claim, disputes the size of their loss or delays a much-needed payout.
Even in the most straightforward cases, the sheer amount of information victims are expected to turn over during an unfamiliar claims process can be overwhelming.
Whatever type of catastrophe strikes your home or business, the property damage lawyers at Edwards Pollard LLP will have your back following a denial, helping you hold your insurer accountable and ensuring you get the coverage and benefits to which you are entitled.
What to do after a fire or flood
The period immediately after a fire or flood can be hectic and distressing, depending on the extent of the damage to your property.
After reporting the incident to your insurer, taking pictures and compiling a list of destroyed and damaged items is essential.
Another of your earliest calls should be to a property damage lawyer. Early interactions with your insurer following a disaster event may suggest that things are progressing nicely, but you should not be lulled into a false sense of security.
Insurers often develop suspicions about fraud or baulk at the size of claims. Still, by the time their resistance to paying out becomes clear, policyholders may be in a position that leaves them vulnerable to the company’s pressure tactics: weaponizing the assessments of their own experts in order to railroad claimants into accepting lowball offers.
Hiring a lawyer early in the process helps set the tone for future communications, letting your insurer know that you won’t be bullied into accepting less than you are entitled to under the terms of your policy. The sooner you can act, the better, so that you protect your rights and minimize the chances of missing deadlines for any legal action that may be necessary.
What to expect if you file a legal claim
If your insurance company insists on denying your claim or unfairly undervaluing your loss, an Edwards Pollard property damage lawyer could file a lawsuit on your behalf.
Our approach is entirely dictated by your individual needs. However you proceed, our lawyers will be with you every step of the way, guiding you through every twist and turn in the litigation process.
At Edwards Pollard LLP, our property damage lawyers work closely with a variety of experienced industry leaders and experts to prove your claim, rather than relying on the opinions of assessors appointed by the insurer to value the damage and financial losses.
How we can help
For too many insured people, a major property damage event is only the first phase of their ordeal as they are forced to justify themselves to a sophisticated and well-resourced insurance company whose focus in on the bottom line.
With an Edwards Pollard LLP property damage lawyer on their side, claimants can focus on getting back to regular routines and moving on with their lives after a catastrophic event, while we take the fight to their insurers, advocating zealously until we have obtained the coverage and compensation they deserve.
Edwards Pollard LLP’s property damage lawyers have several decades of experience handling claims involving fire loss, flood damage, wind or hail damage, equipment damage, business interruption and more. And they call on every ounce of their knowledge to deliver outstanding results for clients.
If your property has been damaged in a fire or flood, or if your insurance claim has been denied, call Oakville’s property damage lawyers at Edwards Pollard LLP for a free consultation to find out if you have a case at (289) 529-0404.