Will an Insurance Adjuster Misclassify My Storm Damage?

Even though it is known and documented information that a major storm has swept through your area, an insurance adjuster may still try to deny that your claimed property damage is associated with it. When this happens, they may proceed to significantly reduce or outright deny your claim, leaving you responsible for costly repairs and replacements. Do not let yourself be made the victim of this. Rather, please continue reading to learn how an insurance adjuster might attempt to misclassify your storm damage and how one of the experienced New York residential storm claim denial attorneys at The Law Office of Craig A. Blumberg, P.C., can help you combat this.

How can an insurance adjuster misclassify my storm damage?

Simply put, the way your property damage is labeled directly determines whether your claim is approved, partially paid, or denied. In other words, your insurance adjuster may, intentionally or not, misclassify your storm damage as something else, or as being caused by something else, and block your chances at fair and just compensation. 

For one, they may attribute your reported property damage to pre-existing conditions, such as associating your missing roof shingles with old age, brittle material, or improper installation. Or, they may try to argue that you were negligent in poorly maintaining your property in the first place, like in an instance where water intrusion was caused by poor sealing around windows, or mold buildup was due to inadequate interior ventilation systems. Lastly, they may say the weather event was a flood, not a storm, which requires separate insurance coverage you may not have opted for.

How can I dispute or appeal an insurance adjuster’s decision in New York?

You should not accept when an insurance adjuster wrongly minimizes or denies your storm damage claim. Rather, you should respond by requesting your homeowners’ insurance company to order a reinspection. Possibly, you may specifically ask the insurer to reassign the claim to a new, impartial adjuster.

Or, you may file additional evidence that will support your claim, such as photos and videos, testimony from a public adjuster or engineer, or weather reports that better establish your claimed property damage was caused by a storm event. If all else fails, you may file a formal internal appeal. But we understand just how difficult it can be to work with an insurer. So if all your valiant efforts have proved unsuccessful, you may involve the New York State Department of Financial Services by submitting a complaint or filing a lawsuit directly against the insurance company for breach of contract. 

If you are ready to get the justice you deserve, please hire one of the skilled New York residential storm claim denial attorneys today. The team at The Law Office of Craig A. Blumberg, P.C., will serve as fierce advocates in your corner through every step of the process.