Insurance is an important thing to have for a variety of different possessions, one of the most important things to cover being your home. Many things can happen to your home outside your control, and as such, insuring it helps account for these possible risks. However, just because you have insured your home against damages, this does not necessarily mean that your insurance company will pay out your claim. But what reasons are home insurance claims denied in Edmond, OK?
Reasons Why Home Insurance Claims Are Denied in Edmond, OK
When you are dealing with insurance companies, there are various principles you need to stick close to. One of the most important of these, if not the most important, is that insurance companies are not your friends. In fact, they are often going to be working against your best interests. This is because, as is the case with most corporations, whatever insurance provider you are working with is in it for the sake of the money. Sure, some insurance providers will be more scrupulous than others, but at the end of the day, your insurance provider will always be thinking of ways to deny your home insurance claim. It does not matter if the reason for denial is a valid one or not, they will find a way to try to deny your claim. This should not be taken to mean that the individual insurance company employees are personally trying to do you wrong; rather, they are all too often expected by their superiors to not approve too many insurance claims. The best way to tackle these situations is to get the help of a skilled insurance claim denial lawyer.
There are a number of reasons why the insurance company may wind up denying your insurance claims. One of the most common reasons for a home insurance denial is that the type of damage that occurred was not covered under your specific claim. Not all insurance claims will have coverage for every type of damage that may occur; for example, home insurance plans will usually (but not always) cover wind, fire, and lightning damage. Other damage types, such as flooding or earthquake damage, must be covered under separate insurance, while coverage or damages relating to mold and water backup can only be covered if you pay extra premiums for them.
Another factor that may emerge is whether you have done the due diligence to ensure that whatever damage occurred did not needlessly worsen. For example, if you failed to have someone deal with water damage by contacting a professional, and this resulted in the damage being worse than it should have been, this may be used against you in a home insurance denial. Furthermore, if it is found that the damage that occurred came as a result of you not taking care of your house, this may be enough to deny your claim. For instance, if you made a mistake in your home’s wiring led to an electrical fire, or you failed to maintain your electrical, this is not going to look good for you. However, at the same time, your due diligence has to fall into the realm of reasonability. For example, if your house catches on fire, and you personally did not go into your home to try to prevent the fire from worsening, this cannot — or at least, should not — be used against you in your home insurance filing. Your insurance company can certainly not justify denying your claim for not putting your life at risk.
The burden of proof is an important thing to consider, and frankly, you need to reach a certain burden of proof in order to show that the damage occurred in the first place. Anyone seeking to file a home insurance claim should take as many photos as evidence to show that it occurred, assuming they are able. Just make your best effort, at least. You should also be as truthful as you possibly can be when documenting the incident (and surrounding elements). Granted, it is entirely possible that you may be mistaken about something, or you omit information by virtue of not realizing it was relevant or even obvious to you. Be as truthful as you possibly can be, and do not leave out any details that may incriminate you. This is because the obfuscation of incriminating information may itself be a reason to deny a perfectly valid claim. One understandable reason for denial is that you failed to keep up with your premium payments. Because of this, your insurance may end up lapsing, meaning that damage to your home needs to be covered out of pocket.
