While there are many advantages to owning a home in Texas, there are also many significant issues that can arise in the wake of a catastrophic event. If your home becomes damaged or destroyed due to fire, plumbing leaks or severe weather, your insurance company will send an adjuster to assess the damage and determine the eligibility of your claim. You may assume that the insurance adjuster is working with your best interests at heart, but unfortunately, we at the law office of Jon Michael Smith have observed that the opposite is more often the case.
According to The Law Dictionary, the job of an insurance adjuster is to minimize the amount of money the insurance company has to pay out to you for damages to your home. In other words, they work for the insurance company, not for you, and though they may appear pleasant enough when interacting with you, they are not your friends.
If an insurance adjuster can demonstrate that damage to your home occurred before the catastrophic event took place, the insurance company will have grounds to deny your claim. Therefore, adjusters receive training to specifically look for signs of structural wear and tear, as well as to ask you tough questions regarding issues such as maintenance schedules and pre-existing damage.
An insurance company that denies your claim is not necessarily in the wrong as there are legitimate exclusions and limits to property damage. For example, most standard policies limit coverage of damage due to movements of the earth or flooding.
Nevertheless, the purpose of insurance is to provide a financial safety net to homeowners following catastrophic damage to their property, yet many insurers attempt to delay payment or wrongfully deny a legitimate claim, failing their customers in the midst of their greatest need. More information about insurance claims is available on our website.
