Advocating For You When Your Insurance Company Lets You Down
After a fire, flood or accident, you expect your insurance company to provide the assistance you need to move forward. However, insurance companies don’t always provide the help you deserve and may delay, underpay or reject your claim. When an insurer doesn’t play fair, you need a strong advocate to help protect your interests.
At Zar Law Firm, our Houston insurance claim lawyers have over 30 years of combined experience helping our clients achieve financial peace of mind after an accident or disaster causes an injury or property damage. Our experienced legal team can help you get the help and compensation you deserve after disaster strikes.
We Understand The Tactics Insurance Companies Use
No aspect of communicating with or challenging an insurance company is easy, especially on your own. When you already face devastating property damage or serious injuries after an accident, you need an attorney who can successfully litigate or negotiate your insurance claim.
Our insurance claim lawyers can assist you with a wide range of concerns, including:
- Fire damage claims
- Water damage claims
- Storm and weather damage claims
- Insurance bad faith
- Motor vehicle accidents
- Medical malpractice
Common tactics used by insurance companies include endless paperwork, requesting excessive damage assessments, offering low-ball settlements and outright denying claims based on technicalities. The attorneys at Zar Law Firm in Houston can help prevent and fight against these tactics.
At Zar Law Firm, our attorneys have a deep understanding of how insurance companies operate and the intricacies of insurance policies. We will take over communications with the insurance company, thoroughly investigate your claim and build a strong case on your behalf to present in court or in negotiations.
Do You Have To Get A Lawyer For A Home Insurance Claim?
Most of the time, homeowners’ insurance claims are pretty straightforward. However, you should speak to an attorney if your claim involves significant damage to multiple parts of your home, multiple types of damage (such as storm, electric and water damage at once) or complex issues.
You definitely need an attorney if your insurance company outright denies your claim, delays the claim, refuses to investigate properly, disputes your actual coverage or makes an offer significantly lower than your actual losses and refuses to budge.
What Steps Should You Take Before And During The Insurance Adjuster’s Inspection?
Before the insurance adjuster arrives to inspect your home’s damage, review your policy and take detailed photographs and videos of the damage from multiple angles. Create an inventory of all your damaged or destroyed property and note their approximate purchase dates and estimated values. If necessary, to mitigate your losses, make temporary repairs (such as putting tarps over a damaged roof) – but keep the receipts for any associated costs.
During the inspection, make sure you or someone you trust is present. Walk the adjuster through the property and be proactive about pointing out all areas of damage. Provide the adjuster with your list of damaged items and any documentation you have already gathered. Take notes about what the adjuster says and ask questions about the next steps, the expected timeline and other information you may need to provide.
What is the time limit For filing a Homeowner’s property damage claim in Texas?
Check your policy. Some policies have a defined period – such as 30 to 60 days – for reporting a claim. Other policies have vague, subjective terms that require you to file your claim “within a reasonable time,” so you do not want to delay making a claim.
Texas law has a statute of limitations that generally allows you two years from the date the property was damaged to file a lawsuit. If the insurance claim is disputed or denied, you have to either resolve the issue within that period or take additional legal action.
Discuss Your Case Today
Pursuing legal action can be complex, overwhelming and confusing for those unfamiliar with the legal system. Do not presume insurance companies and government bureaucracies have your best interests at heart. You need a strong law firm and experienced insurance attorney to look out for your best interests and protect your rights. To schedule a free case review at our Houston law office, call us at 713-333-5533 or fill out our online contact form.
