Dealing With Personal Property Claims
When your residential or business property is damaged, you have to prepare for the damage of your personal items as well. This is where the real heart ache can come from, especially if you’ve lost decades worth of memories. You can supplement the loss and emotional toll with a successful insurance claim, but you must go about it the right way to ensure you get what you deserve.
After a fire, hurricane, theft or mold infestation, homeowners must create an inventory of damaged personal items. If your insurance policy covers personal items, it will usually be addressed under a different coverage subject to different limits.
That’s why you must organize a well itemized content list after a thorough investigation. This includes detailing the age, model number, serial number, place of purchase, etc, of each item. It may get confusing to decide whether or not to place specific items on their contents list verses claiming the items under their dwelling coverage.
Here are the different kinds of claims that can involve the loss of personal property and result in a devastating emotional toll.
Fire & Smoke
Water Damage
Hurricane Damage
Windstorm/Tornado
Mold Infestation
Flood
Theft & Vandalism
Earthquake
The licensed public adjusters come into play to prepare your personal property insurance claim. They will advise you to choose between cleaning and repairing vs. a full replacement. Now if coverage can be afforded, the insurance company will usually pay for the cleaning and repairs of the listed items that were damaged. In some cases, electronic items like DVD players or TVs cannot be repaired because the damage is fully done to their internal components. The adjuster will make sure that your items have the best chance at a full recovery. You’d be surprised at how many insurance policies simply do pay the total value or replacement cost of a damaged item.
By teaming up with a licensed public adjuster, you’ll be well supported in either getting your damaged items repaired or settling a nice claim to get your life back on track.