Insurance Claims Help & ServicesFor Insurance Claim Disputes, Independent Appraiser, Insurance Appraisal Process, and Appraisal Umpire Services!

There are many things that can do damage to your homes like bugs, hail, strong winds, floods, mold, water, and fire. These things can ruin the value of your home and destroy it from the inside out or the outside in. They can cause rotting, warping, bowing, buckling, infestations, and more. You’ll want insurance that will cover many of these things so when your gets damaged by any one of these, you may make repairs and repair the problem. Do not think that just the kitchen and the bathroom can have damages to it. It can happen anywhere in your home like the basement, attic, roof, and many other places.

Bugs like termites and carpet beetles can do lots of damages to wood and to fabrics in your homes. Termites eat wood they cause holes that can literally cause your home to fall apart. Thousands or millions of homes get effect by them every year all over. That’s the reason it’s good to have insurance that will cover termite, carpet beetles, or even rodent damage. Termites and other insects are usually hidden and the damage will be done before you ever even know they are there. Rodents might be heard prior to them getting too bad, but they will chew things like wiring and can cause fires as well as spread germs and disease.

Water can damage a roof eventually especially when it is accompanied by high winds. It will loosen shingles and blow them away. Strong winds can blow off shutters and hurl things into your windows and break them. Heavy rain can cause flooding in your yard and it even gets into the home sometimes. When a home has been flooded, it will often develop mold as well.

When hail is big enough, it can knock a hole in the roof. You can get dents in the wood which can allow water to get in. If the hail comes down hard, it can knock off gutter from the side of your property damaging the wood around it. For those who have a metal roof like on a trailer it can leave pits in it, they may be little dents or very big ones.

Fire is one of the biggest causes of damage to a home. They can happen because of a multitude of causes. Sometimes they might be small and cause only minor damage and sometimes they will destroy the entire home. They might be started by accident, electrical problems, lightening storms, or fireplaces and heaters. Cooking mishaps make the perfect cause of home fires too.

Protecting your home from several things can be overwhelming, but manageable when you do a home inspection each year. A home inspection can help you spots signs of insect or rodent infestation. You might find spots where water is causing damage or something that’s a fire hazard and then repair it before the damage is great. If you have damage to your house and need help from an insurance appraisal umpire to file your insurance damage claim, contact Insurance Claims Group at www.insuranceclaimsgroup.com

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It probably will not surprise you to learn that some insurance companies will give customers a hard time when it comes to submitting fire insurance claims. Such actions will usually create a dispute between the parties that can sometimes get ugly. If you want to avoid further frustration you should consider hiring a fire damage appraiser. This professional makes it much harder for the insurance company to refuse to pay up for legitimate damages.

Many may believe that engineers, construction experts, and legal expert witnesses who testify about fire forensics can all serve as damage appraisers for fire claims. However, you should truly consider someone who understands insurance disputes and the insurance appraisal process before jumping the gun and choosing an unqualified person. Your policy has a clause called Appraisal that allows each party to hire an independent appraiser to assess the damages on their behalf. The appraisers then will choose a third party called an umpire. If you fail to hire someone that is an expert in this process you can suffer greatly. Being that the outcome of appraisal is “binding,” on both parties, you may be stuck with a bad ruling if you do not have an experienced appraiser.

Once you have found an expert you need to know what type of appraisal report they provide. A good report will thoroughly delineate all types of damage from the fire including heat damage, smoke damage, and problems with air quality, mold, etc. A good report from an independent appraiser will contain lots of photos that prove your claim and prove the documents, estimates, and costs related to the fire. In a situation where a large amount of contents were lost, it should also include a loss inventory that will jar your memory about forgotten or missing items. In addition, there is a difference in cost between repairing and replacing items and structures, and the independent appraiser will be able to testify to this.

If your fire claim is missing information or contains information that is untrue, it is much more likely to be rejected. It is well worthwhile to pay a one time fee to hire an expert in order to avoid greater loss from rejected claims. It will automatically be assumed that a claim that contains an expert report is more accurate than one which does not. Is it not better to have your claim accepted the first time around?

Using a professional fire damage appraiser makes it much more likely that your fire insurance claims will be accepted from the get go. The insurance company will find it difficult to state that your claim is incomplete or false when a professional has helped you. Hiring a fire damage appraiser can really make things go much easier when it comes to fire insurance claims.

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As you may know, with severely high winds, we could end up with lots of damage to our home and increase insurance damage claims. These high winds will send almost anything blowing into almost anything else. It can send your lawn furniture through your windows on your home or even your car windows. It could send trees or tree limbs flying in all directions. These high winds can make it hard for motorists to drive with heavy air flow under their cars and trucks making travel difficult and dangerous. It will likewise make it hard for people to walk in these high winds.

With high winds and all of the tree limbs being blown down, these limbs could land on power lines, causing them to break and send sparks to anything close to them. These sparks could start a fire if they land on your home or even the dry leaves in your yard. These broken tree limbs would most likely come off dry, dead trees and then breaking the power lines will quickly burn as they hit the ground. This fire landing on something else will set that item on fire. If your grass is very dry, it will start to burn and close enough to set your home on fire and increase insurance damage claims.

Hurricanes and tornadoes also have severe high winds and these will cause all kinds of wind damage claims and insurance damage claims. This damage can be for miles in all directions. As these hurricanes and tornadoes don’t have to be right on top of your property to cause wind damage, you might not even be in their direct path, but you will feel the effects of it. If your home is in the direct path of a tornado or hurricane, it could completely destroy your home and send it everywhere. These high winds could send your vehicle into a tree several blocks away. People are surely at risk in addition to they can send you flying too. You might live, but you could be hurt really bad.

High winds that come with storms are many times accompanied by wet weather as well. Rains can become torrential and cause flooding in many instances. When rain is accompanied by high winds, the rain can come down hard and fast causing streams and other waterways to rise quickly. This is when there Is usually flash flood threats. You should keep close track of your television or radio when thunderstorms are expected so you will be ready in the event of flash flooding and the high winds.

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To the highest degree all people purchase an insurance policy  – whether it is homeowners insurance or another – without reflecting much about what they are actually purchasing. The most common thing is the premium or the cost one pays. Premium is the biggest cause of the insurance coverage purchase that seems to concern most people. When it comes to other basics of the insurance product people buy, the concerns are usually absent. Many purchasers seem to think that the policy we shop for is the same, no matter which company you buy it from. This attitude is based from a fundamental misunderstanding of what an insurance product is – and how the insurance underground is functioning. It can also cause insurance disputes.

Of course it is of the utmost importance not to pay more for any insurance products than is necessary. However, on occasion we are unaware of the coverage we have with our property until we file a claim. That is when you discover that there was not an efficient amount of coverage available for the loss. Unfortunately, many people find this out after it’s too late. Such large loss claims like fire or flooding can lead to very costly repairs in the tens of thousands and even hundreds of thousands of dollars. Owners of motorcycles, boats or motor-homes can be surprised to learn that neither their homeowners policy nor their auto insurance policy covers them for any damage affiliated with such property.

Non-traditional (or inland marine as some are called) policies is a custom sector of insurance. Such type of insurance deals with property and items that would not traditionally fall under the typical property or automobile insurance policies. Such items include boats, snowmobiles, ATV’s and non commercial watercraft. You will find that your current insurance company does not issue coverage for these types of goods, in this case you should inquire about a specialty insurance company.

Accidents happen, be it in your home, car or even riding our ATV. By making sure you have adequate coverage we can prevent a small accident from causing a financial nightmare. Imagine having a large fire or tornado claim that cost $250,000… and only being covered for $150,000. We encounter such tragic events everyday when we assist families with their insurance disputes. Educating yourself about your policy can protect you from costly situations at a later date.

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Oklahomans, who already pay among the highest insurance rates for homeowners insurance, have a couple of reasons to take comfort despite recent hail storms that caused millions of dollars of damage.

A state law prohibits insurance companies from canceling or failing to renew a homeowners policy or raising the premium because the property owner filed a first claim against the policy.

“That first claim you have an opportunity to file without any impact on the policy,” said Marc Young, state assistant insurance commissioner. “That’s why it’s important that you view that policy as an insurance policy for umbrella protection, and not simply as a maintenance policy.”

Insurance companies providing coverage in Oklahoma are prepared for major storm damage claims, Young said.

“In Oklahoma, we also have a very competitive market, particularly on the property and casualty side,” he said. That provides Oklahomans with an opportunity to shop around if an insurance provider does raise rates.

The Sunday hailstorm potentially could produce greater insured losses than last week’s tornadoes because much of the hail damage was in heavily urban areas, Young said.

Jerry Johns, president of Southwest Insurance Information Service, estimated last week’s tornadoes will amount to “tens of millions of dollars” in insured losses.

Insurance companies typically set rates by evaluating losses over a period of several years. Oklahoma’s turbulent weather is the major reason its residents already pay among the highest homeowners rates in the nation.

“We might see modest increases. It’s dependent upon the company and their exposure in these recent events,” Young said. “They do price for these events over a three- to five-year period of time so I don’t anticipate any disruption at all to the Oklahoma insurance market.”

Oklahomans in 2007 paid the fifth-highest rates for homeowners and renters insurance, according to a survey by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners. The average premium for homeowners insurance paid in Oklahoma was $1,054; nationally, the average premium was $822.

Johns said while each individual company will determine, based on its losses over time, whether to raise rates, Oklahomans will continue to pay more than most.

“Oklahoma is subject to just about every weather-related disaster known to man,” Johns said, “including earthquakes.

“It’s a state that has and probably will continue to be ravaged by severe weather.”

If you have suffered hail damage from hail stroms, tornado damage or any other weather damage insurance claims in Oklahoma, (OK) and need help with your insurance claim or to dispute your insurance companys estimate, please contact Joe Brennan at the numbers below.

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What damages can a tornado cause to policyholders?

Based from Wikipedia, a tornado is “a violently rotating column of air, in contact with the ground, either pendant from acumuliform cloud or underneath a cumuliform cloud, and often (but not always) visible as a funnel cloud. The word “Tornado” comes from the Latin word tonare meaning “to thunder”. Tornadoes are commonly known as twister for many.

When hot air and cold air are mixed, the clouds grow larger and larger. Finally, a thunderstorm is brewed up with a strong updraft. The moisture in the warm air rises and condenses into large clouds which form different kinds of tornadoes. Most tornadoes take on the appearance of a narrow funnel, a few hundred yards (meters) across, with a small cloud of debris near the ground. Tornadoes may be obscured completely by rain or dust. These tornadoes are especially dangerous, as even experienced meteorologists might not spot them. Tornadoes can appear in many shapes and sizes.

Tornadoes are known to be one of the most unpredictable forces of nature and the only warning you might get is the dark clouds you see coming your way. Tornadoes can bring devastations which can bring burdens to many people. It can destroy building and anything in its path, bring death, flooding, hail damage, wind damage that can reach to almost 140 mph and lastly, tornadoes can also cause fire.

There are also instances wherein, not only people and building get destroyed. But also, it gives bad effects in our own surroundings. Many trees can to be uprooted and killed. Thus, this contributes to global warming as the trees take in carbon and dioxide and gives out oxygen during photosynthesis. The ecosystem will become imbalanced as the animal population would most likely be wiped out. Dirt and debris from the damaged and collapsed infrastructures and buildings will circulate in the environment, resulting in pollution.

Many would say that areas near rivers, lakes, and mountains are safe from tornadoes. Myths like this are basically not true. No place is safe from tornadoes. In the late 1980′s, a tornado swept through Yellowstone National Park leaving a path of destruction up and down a 10,000 ft. mountain. One would also say that windows should be opened before a tornado approaches to equalize pressure and minimize damage. But actually, opening windows allows damaging winds to enter the structure. Leave the windows alone; instead, immediately go to a safe place.

Each year, many people are killed or seriously injured by tornadoes despite advance warning. Some did not hear the warning while others received the warning but did not believe a tornado would actually affect them. Being prepared could save your life in the event a tornado threatens your area. After you have received the warning or observed threatening skies, YOU must make the decision to seek shelter before the storm arrives. It could be the most important decision you will ever make.

If you need help with a tornado damage claim or tornado damage claim help, visit the websites listed below or call us at the number below.

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Everyone Should Consider Flood Insurance!

Flooding can occur near rivers, when flow exceeds the capacity of the river channel, particularly at bends or meanders.  The type of land that is prone to flooding are broad and flat usually situated on the banks of a river or main waterway. Rivers that flood are regarded in three different stages. Water comes off the mountains, eroding the beds and banks of the river as it flows. This type river travels through broad valleys which slows the current of the river down. If the current is slow it will transport less material down the river. Little if not any erosion takes place most of the material that is carried in the current is suspended and deposited to the form a flood plain.

Floods often cause damage to homes and businesses if they are placed in natural flood plains of rivers. While flood damage can be virtually eliminated by moving away from rivers and other bodies of water, since time out of mind, people have lived and worked by the water to seek sustenance and capitalize on the gains of cheap and easy travel and commerce by being near water. That humans continue to inhabit areas threatened by flood damage is evidence that the perceived value of living near the water exceeds the cost of repeated periodic flooding.

The word “flood” comes from the Old English flood, a word common to Germanic languages (compare German Flut, Dutch vloed from the same root as is seen in flow, float; also compare with Latin fluctus, flumen). Deluge myths are mythical stories of a great flood sent by a deity or deities to destroy civilization as an act of divine retribution, and are featured in the mythology of many cultures.

What causes floods?

Flooded areas of land usually start off as very dry land. Floods are caused by heavy rains that pour too much water into rivers and other waterways, making these natural channels unable to carry all the water. Rising water flows over or breaks the banks to the waterways causing the surrounding land to be flooded. Different causes of floods can come from masses of snow melting of tidal waves.

What do Flood insurance companies give?

Insurers in the United States do not provide flood insurance coverage due to the hazard of flood typically being confined to a few areas. As a result, it is an unacceptable risk due to the inability to spread the risk on a wide enough population to absorb the potential catastrophic nature of the hazard. In response to this, the federal government created the National Flood Insurance Program in 1968. Wherein found that 33 percent of U.S. heads of household still hold the false belief that flood damage is covered by a standard homeowner’s policy. FEMA states approximately 50% of low flood zone risk borrowers think they are ineligible and CAN NOT buy flood insurance. Anyone can buy flood insurance as long as their community participates in the NFIP, even renters.
If you are eligible, you must purchase a separate flood insurance policy through an insurance company that participates in the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). Flood insurance is available for residents of approximately 19,000 communities nationwide.

Flood insurance actually denotes the specific insurance coverage against property loss from flooding. To determine risk factors for specific properties, insurers will often refer to topographical maps that denote lowlands and floodplains that are susceptible to flooding.

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Unexpected events really do occur, in spite of our natural tendency to anticipate or prevent them. Dealing with damages caused by fire, water or tornadoes is one of those unpredictable incidents. Due to their foreseen nature, such events are the most alarming and destructive, both from a financial point of view and from a generally human one. Flooding, due to astronomically influenced phenomena such as high tides frequently coinciding with the occurrence of heavy rainfall, while fire damage mainly occurs in deadly combination of grease, open burner fire, water and electricity that causes heat combustion. In most cases, these incidents can be accidental, or involuntary, even premeditated.  Where Tornadoes are more unpredictable.

Unfortunately, once the damage is done, there is no turning back. Fire damage, water, flooding, and tornado damages are usually covered under most insurance policies. Some insurance companies give you the feeling of protection, but wen you need them the most, they fall short of providing the services and coverage you believed you had.  Many policyholders unfortunately find out too late that they are NOT… “In good hands,” there is NO… “Like a good neighbor,” and there is NOT… anyone “On your side.”

Many insurance companies have been know under estimate the damages associated with fire damage, flood damage, and tornado damage. This is know in the industry as “low-balling.”  It’s essential that a proper repair is carried out on your property, so all traces of damage associated with the insurance claim will be fixed.  You have paid to have all damages repaired by a professional contractor to a pre-loss condition. Many insurance companies will use engineers to “sister,” beams or trusses, using the “band-aid,” approach. Prior to the loss you did not have a repaired or sistered beam, you had a full, undamaged beam. The policy you purchased provides you with a repair to a pre-loos condition. Prior to the fire, flood, or tornado you did not have a band-aid… and you should be sure you do not have one after.

If you have suffered a fire damage claim, a water or flood claim, even tornado damage, you may find yourself fighting with your insurance company on the repairs. Your insurance policy can actually protect you via the Insurance Appraisal Clause. Get free information and insurance advice on how to use an independent appraiser to settle your insurance claim dispute by visiting Insurance Claims Group, Inc. or Insurance Appraisal Process .com

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Not only are people confused about lightning strike damage claims, many do not even realize that their insurance policy covers lightning strike damages. Lightning can damage the electrical system, cause damages to roofing and framing, can penetrate and damage brick chimneys, and can enter a building and damage finishes like carpet, tile, walls, cabinets, and more. Lightning can also tople trees that fall on homes and buildings, and worse, cause serious fires. It’s bad enought to have had  damage caused by lightning, without having to fight with your insurance company about the damages.

Lightning usually strikes the highest elevation above the ground, but can “run” or jump to adjacent objects, such as houses, power lines, or even people or animals. Most lightning strikes enter homes and buildings through the electrical system. Such strikes can cause a multitude of issues to your home or building… that are sight unseen. Insurance compaies are infamouse for leaving unseen damages out of their estimates. If they can’t see it, they’re covinced it must not be damaged. Lightning can damage underground water lines, underground electical systems, sprinkler systems, and even foundations. Sometimes convincing the insurance company that there was no problems with these items prior to the lightning storm is a daunting task.

When it comes to lightning strike claims many people find themselves disagreeing with the estimate and analysis from their insurance company adjuster. Most of the time the insurance company’s estimate is much lower than estimates provided by local contractors. What can a policyholder do when this happens? How do you fight back? How do you find help in such a situation?

Almost all policyholders are unaware of a very powerful clause in their policy that allows then to invoke The Insurance Appraisal Process. For many insurance claim disputes the only available option to resolve such disagreements is a clause buried in the “Conditions” and/or “What to do after a loss,” sections of the insurace policy. It’s called The Appraisal Clause – also know as The Appraisal Provision.

More information is available about lightning strike claims by contacting Insurance Claims Group, Inc.  They will provide a FREE Consultation and Free Claim File Review. They can analyze your claim, your policy, the insurance company estimates, and your contractors bids to let you know where you stand. Is their more money available in your policy? Has the adjuster or contractor left out items that are covered? Be in the “Know,” and don’t be pushed around.  You didin’t let the lightning stop you… why let the insurance company?

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