When Insurance Denies Your Storm Damage Claims in North Carolina
Q: How long do homeowners have to report a hail damage claim to their insurance company in North Carolina?
A: Generally, homeowners are supposed to be allotted two years from the date of the storm event to file a claim. However, this timeline can be set by aggressive and unfair insurance policy terms rather than State Law. Insurance companies rarely do this.
Q: What if an insurer tries to deny a claim because it wasn’t filed within 90 days?
A: If the insurer is pushing back based on a shorter timeframe like 90 days, it’s important to review the actual policy language. Some policies do have a “prompt notice” requirement, but the North Carolina Department of Insurance strongly encourages insurance companies to be extremely forgiving, flexible and accommodating with this timeline.
Q: What recourse does a homeowner have if the insurance company is uncooperative and/or too stringent on that 90-day “prompt notice” policy clause?
A: If the Insurance company is being unreasonably inflexible with this timeline, then hiring a “Public Adjuster“ in most cases, will get this easily fixed and resolved very quickly. A Public Adjuster will negotiate with the Insurance company on the homeowner’s behalf. A Public Adjuster works for the homeowner, not the insurer. Public Adjusters have a strong track record of getting Insurance to pay out in full on a fair/legitimate claim. Public Adjuster’s take no upfront fee. They earn a small percentage (~10%) of what they’re able to get Insurance to give you for repairs. So they only get paid, if and when they are successful in helping Insurance make your property whole again! Here are some of the best North Carolina Public Adjusters that we recommend:
www.GGG-AI.com | www.CarolinaClaimsConsulting.com | www.IntercoastalPA.com
Q: Public Adjusters almost never fail, but what if mine does?
A: In the super rare and unlikely event that a commissioned Public Adjuster does not succeed in securing a claim payout from your insurance, the last recourse will be engaging the North Carolina Department of Insurance to advocate on the homeowner’s behalf. This is a highly effective approach. Please call your roofer for assistance with this.
Q: Would an insurance company cancel a homeowner’s policy if they involve a public adjuster or engage help from the North Carolina Department of Insurance?
A: While homeowners sometimes worry about this, insurance companies are not supposed to retaliate by canceling a policy just because a homeowner pursued their rightful claim. If an insurer did try to non-renew or cancel coverage unfairly, the homeowner could again reach out to the Department of Insurance for support. Generally, as long as the claim is legitimate, the homeowner should not fear losing coverage just for advocating for themselves. Retaliation presents way too much reputational risk for an Insurer.