Interested in knowing about insurance settlement? The following is a brief overview.
The very lucky ones are those that have never had to settle an insurance claim. This means that there was not any reason to make the claim as the insurance never came into play. These people are the very lucky ones whom disasters and unpredicted tragedies do not fall upon. If you, however, do get tangled in an accident or disaster or some other kind of loss that your insurance company provides coverage for, then you are entitled to make a claim against your insurance.
When things do go wrong and you do make a claim from your insurer, the policy that you initially bought is by definition a promise of assistance. The only thing here is that whatever has happened to you, must fall within the bracket of the insurer’s terms and conditions. Once the claim has been accepted (most are), the insurer has the duty and legal responsibility to abide by the promises of the policy you are on. The way insurance companies do this is by taking one of the following actions:
- mending or replacing property or items that have been damaged
- paying for the legal fees
- paying the insurance settlement.
What exactly is a claim?
An insurance claim legally notifies the insurance provider that you want to make a claim against the policy that you purchased. This means basically that you are letting your insurance provider know that an accident or unexpected disaster has fallen on you. It signals that you have suffered some sort of loss or damage that you believe falls within the policy’s coverage. Most importantly, it tells them that you want the insurance company to take action.
Once the insurer becomes aware of your claim, they will then proceed to review the claim that you have made. They will see if the particular claim is covered by the policy that you are under. You need to prove that the claim is authentic. The insurance provider will then make sure that what has happened to you is covered by the insurance policy and that it falls within the company’s terms and policies.
If the claim you made is accepted, repairs of the damaged property or replacement of items or a payment that is made by the insurer are known as the benefit or payout. The insurer will make an estimate of the damage or loss incurred and proceed to provide the proper benefit to which you are entitled.
The process of applying for your insurance settlement
Any reputable insurance company will try and make the process of claims as smooth as possible. There are, however, some things that the holder of the policy must take to get the claim.
Are you are the kind of person who prepares early and is always organized? Do you keep all the required documents and information that the insurance company may request–just in case? Then the process of filing an insurance claim will be very easy and quick for you.
One of the things to keep in mind is to make sure that you inform the insurance provider of the event and its details as soon as it is practically possible. This is even more needed if the event included some sort of theft or an accident that was very serious.
A good idea may be to check the Product Disclosure Statement of the policy that you have to make sure that the event you went through is not on the list of exclusions of the policy that you do have.
The whole process of making the claim will go much more smoothly if you follow an organized and a step by step approach. In the next few paragraphs, we will provide you with some guidelines. This information will help you tremendously when going through the process of making the claim.
Making the claim
Safety should be the first and foremost priority in your mind after a distressing event. If you have damaged property such as a building, please listen to the emergency responder’s advice and make sure that you and your family are in safety. Do not under any circumstances try to enter a damaged building without the approval of the safety personnel dispatched to the scene.
The next step is to make contact with the police. This holds especially true if you were victim to a crime such as theft, malicious acts, or even a serious accident. you should contact your local law enforcement officers as soon as practically possible. A good idea may also be to keep the incident number that the police give you.
Follow ay and all suggestions and directions the police offer you diligently. You want to make sure that you are giving them as much information as you possibly can about what exactly transpired. You should make a police report, according to the gravity of the situation. Finally, obtain and record the police report number from the officer who arrives at the scene of your accident. This is important as you need to include this data in the insurance claim.
You should also try to review the Product Disclosure Statement of your policy first. See if the event or accident that you went through does not fall under the exclusion list of the policy.
Claim Process Steps:
In order to be safe and to get the maximum possible settlement claim, you should take some necessary steps. These include:
- Making the claim as soon as practically possible.
- Making sure that you are on top of the payment of premiums
- Maybe hire an advisor to settle the claims.
The Takeaway on Filing an Insurance Settlement
If you follow all of the steps listed above, you should have a smooth process of settling the claim. A particularly good idea may be to invest in a claims advisor or a public adjuster. The company will appoint a person called a claims adjuster to your case. But remember that the adjuster has vested interests in the matter. Their interests align with those of the insurance company. So he or she may try to skimp on your claim. A public adjuster, on the other hand, works on commission for you. They are much more skilled to handle your insurance settlement.