Will My Rates Go Up if I File a Claim?

Will My Homeowners Insurance Rates go up if I File a Claim?

Many homeowners across Florida worry that simply filing a claim after years of having insurance coverage, will cause an increase in their Homeowners Insurance Premiums.  Regretfully, the fear is legitimate for Floridians.  Thankfully, there are ways to avoid problems and expensive increases in the cost to insure homes in Florida.

It is factual that filing a homeowner’s insurance claim can trigger an increase.  While some states will allow insurance carriers to move rates higher, by as much as 40%, Florida insurance carriers can raise rates by 2% after filing a claim.

A strong caution should be given: these increases can happen by simply calling your insurance company, even if the result of the call was not filing a claim.  Imagine how angry you would be to find you had cost your family money, for no more coverage, just because you called your insurance company for advice!  As your Public Adjuster, Advocate Claims works directly for you, not the insurance carrier.  We can help to steer you the right way, to avoid a premium increase when possible and logical.

How to avoid increases in Homeowner Insurance Claims in Florida:

• Call Advocate Claims first, for a free assessment of your claim. Do not call your insurance carrier prior to calling us for an assessment.  Simply calling the insurance carrier could cause an increase in your insurance rates. 

• Work with Advocate Claims to understand the full cost of the repairs and the coverage that your insurance company is obligated to pay. 

• Only call your insurance carrier once we have assessed the claim and can show a clear benefit to the homeowner for filing the claim.

The insurance process is often unfair.  Your insurance carrier in Florida will send a professional representative called an Adjuster.  This Adjuster represents the Insurance Company only.  As your Public Adjuster, we only represent you, the home or business owner.

It will cost you nothing to access our expert assessment of your possible insurance claim.  As your Public Adjuster, we will only charge fees for our services once we have successfully settled your claim, representing only your interests.

It is not uncommon for your insurance carrier to minimize the total cost of repair for your claim. On a recent claim we handled in Miami Florida, the insurance carrier stated a fallen tree and subsequent repairs would “likely be less than the deductible.”  This statement made the home owner believe that she would be left with $8,700 in repair costs.  We took over the claim and found that the damage was far greater than initially surveyed by the insurance adjuster.  We settled the claim for $37,250.

The home owner had already initiated the process that was going to raise her insurance rates.  Simply calling sometimes starts this process.  Once Advocate Claims took over, we were able to help in calling the insurance company and quickly getting to the real dollars necessary for the repair costs. In this case, the homeowner may have invited a 2% increase in her insurance premiums in Florida.  That being said, after her insurance carrier paid out $37,500, the 2% increase is not as hard to take.

No matter how small or large the damages are to your home or business, before calling your insurance carrier, it is wise to call Advocate Claims in Florida. We can help to avoid useless increases to your insurance rates, and help to maximize your claim to make full repairs, quick, getting you every dollar your policy allows for your claim.