Settling a Claim with United Property & Casualty Homeowners Insurance

No one feels the level of urgency like homeowners waiting on their insurance companies to provide homeowners’ insurance compensation after damage occurs to their home or property. In many situations, you need the funds promised to you under your home insurance policy to repair the damages to your home and get on with your life. It’s your top priority, to say the least. 

But are you at the top of your insurance company’s priorities list? When you file your insurance claim in Florida, you want to know that your case is being handled with the care and urgency you deserve, only to find that you might be stuck in a slow, bureaucratic process for weeks. In addition to that, you might not be able to get much in terms of updates from either your agent or insurance adjuster. This can be extremely frustrating, and it’s something hundreds (or perhaps thousands) of Broward County and Palm Beach County residents go through each year.

Stuck in the process

Although you may receive a fast response immediately after filing your claim, you should know that’s only because the law requires home insurers to do so within 15 days of the filing. This is simply to confirm that they’ve received your request. After that, the insurer must still send a representative to evaluate and document the damage to your home, so you should take pictures of the debris and damage before it is cleared. Then, your insurance provider will evaluate the cause of the damage and how it relates to the coverage in your policy. You should be sure to get a second opinion on all of your insurer’s evaluations and track any costs associated with the process, such as living expenses and cleaning.

Put together, these steps create the long, convoluted process that United Property & Casualty policyholders are all too familiar with. Unfortunately, insurance companies have the freedom to drag their feet through each step in the process, all with the goal of minimizing the amount of compensation they eventually provide.

For obvious reasons, the Florida homeowners’ insurance industry does not want to notify the public of these shortcomings. United Property & Casualty has already had its share of complaints — in 2012, it had 111 formal complaints filed against it, out of 117,233 policies. With so many claims getting stuck in the gears, it’s not surprising that widespread dissatisfaction is part of the business for many insurance providers.

If your home or business has sustained damage due to water damage, a burst pipe, vandalism or more, consider speaking with a Florida public adjuster before filing your claim. A public adjuster serves as an advocate for you, ensuring you thoroughly understand the process and what your policy does and does not cover.

If you need help from an experienced public adjuster in Florida, call Advocate Claims at 954-369-0573 or contact us online. We serve home and business owners in West Palm Beach, Fort Lauderdale, Delray Beach, Boca Raton, Hollywood, Wellington, Boynton Beach and communities throughout the state.