If you are the recipient of a denied Progressive property claim, it is understandable that you will feel confused, angry, and frustrated. However, a denied claim is not the final word. You have options, and you do not have to explore them alone.
An insurance property lawyer may be able to overturn your denial and get you the compensation you deserve. Call the Law Offices of Anidjar & Levine to get a free case evaluation: 1-800-747-3733.
Why You May Have Received a Denied Progressive Property Claim
Insurance companies like Progressive try to minimize what they pay out in claims whenever possible. If Progressive denied your property claim, they likely claimed it was for one of the following reasons:
- You don’t have coverage for the specified event.
Events that result in damage are called “perils” in insurance terms. Some examples of covered perils may include windstorms, theft, exploding gas grills, tornadoes, falling trees, or water damage from leaky pipes. However, if you have water damage from flooding, that damage may not be covered in your policy.
- You have unpaid or late payment of premiums. Insurance companies have the right to deny your claim if you have been regularly delinquent or have missed payments completely. Your lawyer can investigate to determine whether the insurance company’s assessment of your payments is accurate and help explain your options if this reason is given for your denied claim.
- Your deductible is higher than your claim. The higher your deductible, the more responsibility you’ll have to pay for the damages yourself. The trade-off is that your monthly premiums will be lower if you choose a high deductible. For example, if you have a $500 deductible and a hurricane causes damage to your home requiring $3,000 in repairs, you will receive compensation for only $2,500 (the amount claimed minus your deductible).
- You have inadequate documentation of your loss. When you file a claim with your insurance company, it is up to you to prove your claim is legitimate and provide the necessary substantiating evidence. Progressive will send out their own insurance adjuster to verify your claim and file a report. If the insurance adjuster’s report differs from your side of the story, your claim will be denied unless you have sufficient proof.
- You filed your property claim too late. Your policy will set time limits for how long you have to file your claim for property damage. Ideally, you should file a claim as soon as possible when it is easy to document the damage with photos or videos. Waiting too long may result in a denied Progressive property claim because the insurance company will say it is impossible to prove the damage occurred when you said it did.
- Your claim includes items that are excluded from your policy. Not every item in your home is automatically covered in your insurance policy. Certain things like expensive bicycles, custom furniture, art, collectibles, and fine jewelry may not have been specified on your original policy—or you may have acquired them after the original policy was written. While it is possible to insure individual items by adding a rider to your plan, this must be done before the claim has been filed.
If these or other reasons were listed in your denied Progressive property claim, our team can investigate the details and help you file an appeal of the decision. A successful appeal will reverse Progressive’s decision and allow you to recover the compensation you deserve.
The State of Florida Offers Certain Protections to Homeowners
As a homeowner in Florida, you have certain rights under the law. Through the Florida Division of Consumer Services, part of the Department of Financial Services, you can file a complaint against your insurance company online, by mail, or by phone. After a complaint has been filed, the insurance company has 20 days to respond to the Division of Consumer Services. Similarly, the Florida Homeowners Bill of Rights lays out a timetable for response by the insurance company per state statute, but it does not protect you from having a claim denied.
While each of these options will compel Progressive to respond to your complaint, these organizations are not fighting on your behalf; they are simply assisting with the flow of information. A property claims attorney can help you use these and other resources to help strengthen your claim for compensation.
Next Steps After Your Claim Is Denied
After you receive a denied Progressive property claim, you can consider your options:
- You can get on the phone with the insurance company yourself and try to dispute the claim directly.
- You can hire a property attorney to put together a rebuttal to the denial and negotiate a settlement with Progressive.
- You can sue. By law in Florida, if you file an individual suit and win, the insurance company is required to reimburse your legal fees.
The insurance company already has its own lawyers in place to handle claim disputes. It can be helpful to be similarly prepared with a property claims lawyer of your own.
Contacting a Property Attorney
Once you are ready to hire a property attorney to help you dispute a denied Progressive property claim, you will want to make sure the firm you choose has experience in:
- Assisting in preparing all the paperwork and compiling the additional evidence in support of your claim.
- Understanding the fine details of insurance policies and how best to structure an appeal.
- Speaking directly to insurance companies on their clients’ behalf and successfully negotiating settlements.
- Civil litigation and successful court cases.
Our team of claim denial lawyers at the Law Offices of Anidjar & Levine has the resources and track record to help you with all of the above. If you have a denied Progressive property claim, call us today for a free consultation: 1-800-747-3733. We want to help you get the compensation you deserve.
We Can Help.
