When fire, water or storm damage occur your insurance company will usually schedule an adjuster to inspect and assess the damage upon filing a claim. If you’ve read through some of our other resources, you will know that can happen after a fire in as little as a few hours or up to several days depending on the carrier. We want to help you understand this process, what to expect and what the Texas Department of Insurance (TDI) has to say about this process. (We have included some language from TDI and a link below)
CONSUMER BILL OF RIGHTS Homeowners. Dwelling and Renters Insurance, Section 29
29, SETTLEMENT OFFER. You have the right to reject an settlement amount, including an unfair valuation. offered by the insurance company If you reject a settlement offer your options include continuing to negotiate with the insurer or pursuing legal remedies, such as mediation. arbitration, or filing a lawsuit. You have the right to have your home repaired by the repair person of your choice.
http://www.tdi.texas.gov//
The adjuster assigned to your claim should be working to create a scope of repair that would be appropriate to restore your property to its pre-loss condition. We have seen that more often than not the scope created by is not fully adequate to complete a proper repair to your home. These scopes are generally pretty good, but your adjuster lacks the true restoration and construction knowledge required to get all the necessary details. This is the very reason you need to hire a restoration company that fully understands this process. One that has been checked and vetted – we have some in our network if you would like to visit with any of them. These are companies you can trust that will be working for you throughout the claim process. Whoever you choose they should be creating a comparative scope of repair, to include everything they note that needs to be included in addition to the adjuster’s scope.
The insurance company will review both assessments and negotiate for the true and proper repair scope to return your property to its pre-loss condition.
Your insurance company will most likely push you toward a restoration vendor that they recommend. We advise you to be cautious here because this vendor works for and was hired by the insurance carrier and not for you. Additionally, many of the insurance company vendors aren’t full service restoration companies. Which means they will only do portion of the clean-up then you have to switch companies again to finish the repair! You want someone who is going to be your advocate in the claim process. Someone you are comfortable with who has been screened and approved. A company that can provide full service to return you back to normal – faster.
The ReNetwork vendors can do just that. Too often insurance companies only cover about 50% of what would truly be required to properly repair your property. If you work with the insurance carriers vendor (who was hired by your insurance), who is going to hold your insurance company accountable for the items they left off your scope? (Certainly not the insurance company’s vendor) Note: Not all these companies are bad, but exercise caution. It is very important to remember that Texas State Law allows you to use the company of your choice. Make sure you select a team that you are comfortable with and that meets your needs. If your insurance company told you who to use to fix your car you would be upset and what to use the best company out there. You wouldn’t want to take and chances with your $30,000 car, but why should that be any different with your $300,000 home.
Choose a ReNetwork vendor and get the best companies in the market, and an advocate on your side. Our vendors have been proven to be successful at taking care of customers and holding insurance companies accountable. Remember they work as your advocate in the claim process, hired by you, working for you. Your needs are our priority.
