Melbourne Insurance Claims Lawyer

Normally when you pay a business money to provide a service it does so without complaint. But as anyone who has ever experienced damage to their home knows, insurance companies are different. No matter how diligent you have been in paying your homeowner’s insurance premiums each month, when it comes time to actually file a claim, the insurance company’s adjusters often start throwing up roadblocks right away, offering every excuse in the book to avoid paying for your property damage.

A qualified Melbourne insurance claims lawyer can help you in taking charge of the situation. At the Pendas Law Firm, we represent homeowners who are only seeking fair compensation under their policies. We know all of the insurance company’s legal tricks and we will make every effort to ensure it complies with the terms of your policy and Florida law.

What Are an Insurance Company’s Legal Obligations?

Insurance companies are first and foremost for-profit businesses. Those profits come from collecting as much in premiums as possible–while paying out as little of that money to policyholders. This creates an inherent conflict between an insurer’s duty to act in good faith towards those policyholders and its obligations to its shareholders.

Nevertheless, an insurance policy is still a contract governed by Florida law. And the state does impose certain deadlines on an insurance company to act when someone has filed a claim. In general, the key deadlines are as follows:

• Once a policyholder notifies an insurance company of damage to their property, the insurer must contact the policyholder within 14 days (2 weeks) about their claim.
• Once a policyholder submits a required “proof of loss” form, the insurance company has 10 days to commence an investigation into the policyholder’s actual losses.
• Once that investigation is complete, the insurance company has 90 days (roughly 3 months) to deny or accept the claim.

During this process, you as the policyholder need to strictly comply with all terms of your policy. Any failure to comply–even by accident–can be cited by the insurer as a reason to deny your claim. And even if you do everything right, if the insurer denies your claim in part or in full, you have certain legal rights to challenge that decision.

Contact The Pendas Law Firm Today

The most important reason to work with an attorney when filing an insurance claim is to hold the insurer’s feet to the proverbial fire. Insurers are notorious for dragging investigations out as long as possible and presenting low initial offers. Simply having an attorney at your side can help convince the insurance company that it needs to take your claim more seriously. Sometimes the mere threat of litigation is enough to bring the insurer back to the bargaining table.

And sometimes it is not. That is why you need to be prepared to fight for your rights in court. We can stand with you in that fight. If you need to speak with a skilled Melbourne insurance claims lawyer, contact the Pendas Law Firm today to schedule an initial consultation.