When assisting policyholders with a claim, a thorough review of the policy or policies of insurance that cover the property is absolutely necessary. Having as much information as possible about the insurance company’s coverage and evaluation will aid in determining the future of a claim.
Citizens Property Insurance is required by Florida statute to provide its insureds with information, but in order to get the information, the proper forms must be completed. The form required to obtain copies of the policy of insurance and underwriting file is available here. Be sure to check the boxes requesting both the policy and the underwriting file. The underwriting file should contain a copy of the insurance application and various other documents insurance companies usually try to withhold. Once complete, Citizens accepts the form via email to certifiedpolicyrequests@citizensfla.com or via fax to 850- 575-1879.
The policy request form addresses and anticipates requests from public adjusters. A public adjuster must send in the completed form along with a letter of representation or a contract signed by the insureds.
Claims documents are also available from Citizens. Claim documents provided are subject to a confidentiality provision, but various documents can be requested, including estimates, engineering reports, photographs, payment breakdowns, and denial letters. The form is available here and can be returned via email to recordsrequest@citizensfla.com or fax to 850- 575-1879.
Citizens will send the requested documents via email or fax. It generally takes one or two weeks to receive the information.
In Florida, Citizens Property and other insurance companies are required to send certified policies to their policyholders and representatives. As soon as the loss occurs, a written request for the policy needs to be sent to the insurance company. It is important that a certified policy is obtained, but if you are adjusting a loss without a policy at all, it would be wise to ask for the complete policy to be sent in an expedited fashion while the insurer processes the certified policy request. Florida Statute §627.4137(1)(e) requires insurers to provide the policies, and when a policy is certified, the insurance company is acknowledging under oath that the policy they send is complete. By using the certified copy of insurance, public adjusters can be confident that the insurance company cannot later argue that another limitation applies to the loss—if its not part of what was certified, it doesn’t count.
