Holding Insurance Companies To Their Obligations

You pay your insurance premiums, and you expect that in the event you file a homeowner’s claim, your insurance company will cut you a check for your damages so you can make any necessary repairs. Unfortunately, most of the time, it’s not that easy. You may have to fight to recover the money owed to you for the damages you incurred.

The Fine Print In Homeowner’s Insurance Polices

Our Fort Lauderdale homeowners insurance lawyer can tell you that homeowner’s insurance policies usually contain legalese and clauses that make them difficult, if not nearly impossible, for you to interpret. You likely won’t even realize the impact of this until you seek compensation for a claim.

The Law Offices of Geoffrey D. Ittleman can review your homeowner’s policy and advise you of your legal rights in events caused by:

• Fire – Insurance companies will often refute the cause of the fire and the home’s value, especially if a home is completely destroyed in a fire.
• Flood – Many insurance policies have flood exclusions, but if you sustain a flood, it may be covered under FEMA’s National Flood Insurance Program. Insurance companies may also dispute flood claims depending on if the water damage is caused by rainwater or rising water levels.
• Hurricane – Hurricanes are a normal occurrence in Florida from June to December. The nature and level of homeowners’ coverage for these catastrophic events usually vary depending on the insurance company.
• Mold – Your insurance policy may cover water damage, but exclude toxic mold, which develops as a result of water damage.
• Water damage – A burst pipe can cause extensive water damage to your personal belongings, including furniture, drapes, carpeting, appliances and clothing. Some policies only cover replacement costs at half the value of your losses, which means that you’ll be paying substantial out-of-pocket expenses to cover the differences.
• Wind – Some insurance policies exclude wind damage, which complicates issues when both wind and rain cause hurricanes and tropical storm damage.

Our team can help accurately calculate the actual value of your losses and property damage to help present a better case to your insurance company.

Enforcing Your Policyholder Rights

Even when you have a clearly valid claim, some insurers are notorious for playing games — delaying, lowballing or outright denying the claim. Geoffrey Ittleman is a veteran litigator with extensive experience representing individual homeowners and homeowner associations in insurance coverage disputes and bad faith lawsuits. He can step in to negotiate on your behalf or compel the insurance company to honor the full value of your claim.

Helping You Recover Property Damages

The Law Offices of Geoffrey D. Ittleman can help understand your homeowner’s policy and assist you with recovering monetary damages for your home. Set up an appointment with our Fort Lauderdale homeowners insurance lawyer to learn more about how we can help negotiate your settlement claim with your insurance company. Call 954-546-7441 to or email us to schedule your free consultation today.