Home insurance is there to protect you in the event of a disaster like a fire or a flood. When situations like this happen, you’ll find yourself in a lot of financial trouble if you don’t have home insurance in place.

However, even people that do have the right insurance cover still miss out when they file a claim. The way that you file and the details you provide make a big difference to the amount that you eventually get, so it’s important that you avoid these common mistakes.

Failing To Negotiate

This is the biggest mistake you can make because if you don’t negotiate, you will never get the maximum amount. A lower settlement means that you have to shoulder more of the financial burden yourself, so you should always try to negotiate. The problem is, it can be a long and difficult process, which is why a lot of people just accept the first settlement. But you can work with an insurance adjuster who can negotiate on your behalf. They will be able to help you get a much larger settlement and avoid any other mistakes you might make during the process. Failing to negotiate will leave you in a tough financial position, so make sure you don’t accept the first settlement you are offered.

Filing Late

Most insurance companies require you to file within a certain time period if you want to make a claim. If you file outside of this window, they could have grounds to deny your claim. This mistake usually occurs because people are unaware of how long the time limit is or they may not realize that there is a limit in the first place. It’s important to check your agreement and see exactly what the terms are. It will outline what the insurance company considers to be a reasonable time period in which to make a claim. Anything outside of that time period could be grounds for denial, so make sure that you get the ball rolling straight away. It takes more time than you think to gather all of the evidence that you need and take photos etc, so don’t wait around.

Filing A Generic Claim

The more evidence you supply when filing your claim, the easier it will be to get your claim approved. Unfortunately, a lot of people don’t realize this and they file a generic claim without much detail in it. You should be including lots of photos of any damage and a full list of everything that needs to be replaced. It’s also a good idea to get quotes for any work that needs to be done so you can provide a rough estimate of how much it will cost.

The insurance company may also investigate the cause of the damage and ask you to prove that you took the right measures to prevent it. So, for example, you may need to include details about how you protected your home from fire or flooding.

If you can avoid these big mistakes, you stand a much better chance of getting your home insurance claim improved.