Filing a claim after your home is damaged in a disaster can take months.
Filing a claim with your insurance company for damage to your home can take months to complete and can become a frustrating process. One way to help the claims process along is to do some of the investigative work yourself. Take pictures of all of the damage, and call your insurance company to notify them of the incident. Then you can get the process rolling by getting a complete list of the damage and what it will take to repair and replace your losses. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Determine how long the cleanup will take. Consider the removal of debris, a thorough cleaning before and after the remodeling process, and the number of loads of refuse that must be hauled away. Write these figures down.
2. Do some research online to find three cleaning crews who can perform all of the preliminary work, hauling and the final cleaning. Call the three cleaning contractors you have chosen and have them come to your house, perform an inspection and give you a written estimate.
3. Determine the scope of the demolition that will be required before the actual repair can be done. Damaged items must be removed before work can continue.
4. Contact three demolition contractors you found online. Get an inspection, written estimate, license information and a copy of their contractor's license.
5. Continue your inspection and make a list of remodeling materials needed. Get a price list online from three suppliers for these materials, along with delivery prices.
6. Multiply the materials cost by 1.5 to get a fair labor estimate. Use this number as a baseline to help you decide on remodeling contractors.
7. Do some research online to find three remodeling contractors. Meet with each of the contractors and get a written estimate for the project from each. Obtain a copy of each company's contractor license and liability insurance policy.
8. Make a list of personal items that were damaged in the incident. Be sure to include only items that are present and damaged. Save the damaged items for inspection by the adjuster if necessary.
9. Contact your insurance claims adjuster. Notify him of the information you have collected. Send a copy of your calculations, as well as the written estimates from the cleaning and remodeling contractors, to the adjuster so that the insurance company will know how much money it owes you to complete your claim. Send each contractor's license and insurance information with your paperwork so that the adjuster will not need to collect this information herself.
Tags: contractor license, insurance company, remodeling contractors, written estimate, your insurance
