If you are a Public Adjuster or Roofing Contractor working in the property damage insurance claim industry, you no doubt have been seeing more and more hailstorm/windstorm claims in recent years. In researching some of the many issues surrounding these claims for my presentation at the recent Windstorm Insurance Conference, several challenges seemed to consistently appear within the items listed from each person I contacted.
Common Challenges
Steve Shannon, with Valley Boys Roofing based in Omaha, Nebraska, identified several challenges his policyholders consistently face when making hailstorm/windstorm damage claims to their insurance carriers.
Steve mentioned several common themes during our conversation. “Coordination between Desk Adjusters and Field Adjusters, or rather the lack of coordination, has really slowed the claims payment process,” Steve says. “Field Adjusters tell us they have no authority to authorize payment, and then the Desk Adjuster says they need more pictures from another re-inspection in order to make payment decisions. The process just drags on and on.”
Another common theme during my conversations involved carriers citing reason after reason to deny paying the claim. “Faulty workmanship, wear and tear, lack of maintenance, you name it. Instead of depreciating the claim and paying what is owed for hailstorm/windstorm damage, carriers are issuing denial letters and saying none of the damage is related to hailstorm/windstorm.”
What Does This Mean For Me?
To the extent it gives any comfort – and I understand it may not – my research at least indicates you are not alone if your policyholder clients face more challenges in getting their hailstorm/windstorm claims paid properly. Unfortunately, there may be no choice but to refer your clients to a legal professional if you continually face these delays after delays when presenting the claim. Hopefully, as we saw at the Windstorm Conference, meaningful dialogue can continue to help avoid the many common challenges currently faced when presenting claims of this nature.
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