If Avatar denied your property insurance claim, you might be wondering what options you have. Taking on an insurance company by yourself can be unnerving. The Law Offices of Anidjar & Levine can help you go after the compensation you deserve.
We can negotiate directly with the insurer to help you get the full compensation you deserve, appeal the denial of your claim, or possibly file a lawsuit for bad faith denial of a claim. Call us today at 1-800-747-3733 to get started.
Reasons That Insurers Deny Property Damage Claims
Some insurance companies that sell homeowners and business property insurance pay most of their valid claims promptly with little hassle or stress. Unfortunately, not all insurers treat their policyholders in this manner.
Here are some of the reasons insurance companies use to deny property damage claims:
- Prompt notice. The insurer accuses the policyholder of failure to provide timely notice of the claim. For example, a homeowner notices a leak in their home. They notify the insurer two days later, but the insurer claims they waited too long.
- Claim form. An insurance company refused to accept the detailed claim form the homeowner submitted from a professional public adjuster because the adjuster did not use the insurer’s form. The insurer claimed that the public adjuster’s form was deficient but refused to identify the deficiencies.
- Unreasonable demands for inconvenient and unnecessary examinations. An insurance company demanded that the homeowner, the homeowner’s wife, the public adjuster, and the corporate representatives and employees of the companies who did the repair and remediation work all appear on a date chosen by the insurer to submit to an examination under oath (EUO). The homeowner’s lawyer asked to reschedule for a mutually convenient date, but the insurance company refused.
If you have the misfortune of being treated like this by your insurer when you file a property claim, a lawyer can protect your rights and help you navigate through the claims process. Call the Law Offices of Anidjar & Levine to let us get to work on your denied Avatar property claim.
Your Insurer May Purposefully Drag Out Your Claim
It is an injustice to make a policyholder endure unreasonably long delays in getting claims paid. Unjustified delays can be an indication of an insurance company acting in bad faith, which violates the law.
When an insured person suffers significant property damage and has to jump through too many hoops and wait a long time to get the money promised under the insurance policy, the policyholder can experience extreme financial hardship.
Here are some examples of how and why insurers drag out processing and paying property claims:
- The insurance company will transfer your claim repeatedly from one employee of the insurer to another. Each transfer will add weeks or longer to a resolution of your claim as the new person gets familiar with the file.
- After an event that causes hundreds or thousands of claims, the insurance company takes months or even longer to pay some claims.
- Some companies will not respond to emails and will not put the person in charge of the file on the phone. The answering system will put callers with pending damage claims on hold and/or hang up without talking to the caller.
- Sometimes the delays happen because the insurance company does not hire enough personnel to manage sudden surges in claims, such as after a storm.
- A company might delay payments because there were too many claims at one time for the insurer’s financial reserves. In these situations, the insurance company stretches out payment of claims over a long period, paying claims as the insurer can afford to do so.
An insurance company’s lack of assets or poor planning does not justify the insurer causing financial harm to you. A lawyer can help you get justice.
What to Do if Avatar Did Not Treat You Fairly
When you have sustained significant property damage from a hurricane or another reason, the last thing you need is to have to fight with Avatar to get the money you need to repair or rebuild your house and replace the damaged contents. If you feel that the company acted wrongfully in handling your property insurance claim or violated your rights as a homeowner, the Law Offices of Anidjar & Levine can help with your denied Avatar property claim.
How We Can Help with Your Denied Avatar Property Claim
The exact steps we take will depend on the facts of your case, but here are some of the actions we can take in these situations:
- We can contact the insurer and try to resolve the dispute.
- We can negotiate with the insurance adjuster and present evidence of your right to compensation.
- If the insurer still refuses to pay your valid claim, we can file a lawsuit for bad faith refusal to pay an insurance claim.
Suing for Bad Faith Refusal to a Valid Insurance Claim
Florida law lets consumers file civil lawsuits against insurers who do not make a good faith effort to settle claims. The insurance company must act fairly and honestly toward its policyholders. If the homeowner wins, the court can order the insurance company to pay the damages plus the court costs and the homeowner’s reasonable attorney fees.
At the Law Offices of Anidjar and Levine, we go the extra mile for our clients. We love to go after insurance companies that try to bully individuals who paid their premiums and deserve the insurance coverage they bought.
Call us today at 1-800-747-3733 to get started.
We Can Help.
