No one pays for insurance just so they can pay for property damage out-of-pocket, yet insurance companies deny and delay valid claims every day. If you’re dealing with a burst pipe in your home or commercial establishment, the longer it takes for you to recover money for repairs, the worse the water damage gets.
If you can’t afford to cover the cost of repairing or replacing your furniture, pipes, or fixtures, you may need to call a lawyer to facilitate the claims process. A Sarasota pipe burst lawyer at GED Lawyers is able to assist you in building your claim, speeding up the process, or disputing a denial. You can contact us for a free consultation at any time.
Homeowners Insurance Covers Burst Pipes
Burst pipes are generally covered under your homeowners or commercial property insurance. These insurance policies cover water damage that results from accidental occurrences or acts of God in most situations. This may include frozen pipes, accidental punctures, certain types of natural disasters, or poor workmanship from plumbing installation.
As long as your busted pipe is not the result of your own negligence or is directly excluded in your insurance policy, you are entitled to recover the cost of repairing or replacing your damaged property.
You Have Rights as Property Owner in Florida
Florida law protects the rights of homeowners in Sarasota. If you’ve filed a claim for damage that’s covered under your insurance policy, your insurer has a legal responsibility to adjust your claim both fairly and promptly. The Homeowners Bill of Rights summarizes your protections under Florida Statutes §627.7142. They include:
- Your insurer must send written acknowledgment of your homeowners insurance claim within 14 days of your filing.
- Your insurance company must confirm that your burst pipe claim is fully covered, partially covered, denied, or under investigation within 30 days of you submitting proof of loss if you request it in writing.
- Within 90 days of your filing, the insurance company must fully pay the claim, pay any undisputed portion of it, or deny your claim in writing unless extenuating circumstances exist.
- If your burst pipe property damage claim is neither paid nor denied within the 90 days, the insurer must pay interest on the money they owe. Interest accrues from the date of your claim filing until the insurer makes payment.
Our Sarasota burst pipe attorneys understand your rights and will work to hold the insurance company accountable for what they owe you.
A Burst Pipe Lawyer Will Hold the Insurer Accountable for Bad Faith
We do our best to work with the insurance company for a peaceful resolution; however, if necessary, we will file a lawsuit to obtain your financial recovery. Violating your rights by taking longer to pay than is reasonable, denying you money, or misrepresenting aspects of your homeowner’s insurance policy are bad faith tactics.
The law allows you to sue your insurer for these practices and for failing to fulfill their contract with you. You could collect additional compensation. Our property damage lawyers in Sarasota will help you fight back.
Our Sarasota Burst Pipe Attorney Will Build or Strengthen Your Claim
To assist you with the insurance claim process, a lawyer on our team will help you:
Document the Damage
A burst pipe can result in water damage to your belongings, such as furniture, clothing, and documents. It could damage your fixtures like cabinets or flooring, or worse, destroy the structure of your home. Structural damage compromises the integrity of your property and could lead to collapse. You will need to get your pipes and the water damage repaired right away to avoid more serious issues later on.
An essential part of obtaining your financial compensation from the insurer is documenting the damage. You need clear photos and an itemized list of damaged property to prove your losses to the insurance company. Our burst pipes lawyers serving Sarasota can help you gather this evidence, as it may be overwhelming to do alone.
Communicate with the Insurance Adjuster
What you say to the insurance adjuster is equally as important as gathering the proper documentation of your losses. An adjuster is trained to spot apparent weaknesses in your claim or exploit inconsistencies in your story. They are skilled at manipulating your words and will do so in order to justify not paying what they owe.
A property damage lawyer from our firm can take over communications entirely. We have dealt with countless insurance adjusters, so we can help you avoid inadvertently harming your claim.
Understand Your Insurance Policy
Insurance policies are often long and difficult to comprehend, deterring policyholders from even attempting to decipher them. You must have a clear understanding of your policy to effectively file a claim for the water damage. Water damage coverage is particularly tricky. Your policy may have exclusions or stipulations that limit your financial recovery for certain types of damage.
At the same time, you may have coverage for damages you did not expect, such as loss of use of your property due to the busted pipes. That means you could receive a payout for not being able to use a portion of your home or business property. Your Sarasota burst pipes attorney will analyze the terms of your insurance policy to determine your level of coverage and how best to build your claim.
Did you know that if the language of your policy is ambiguous, your adjuster is supposed to interpret it in your favor? Are you aware that if there is no exclusion expressly limiting a specific type of coverage, your insurance is supposed to pay for the damage that reasonably falls into that category? Your insurer knows it and so does our Sarasota property damage claims lawyer.
Call Ged Lawyers for a Sarasota Burst Pipes Lawyer Today
If the insurance companies won’t pay, delays your payout, or you just need a little help getting started with your claim, contact Ged Lawyers. A Sarasota burst pipe lawyer with our firm can help you file a claim and fight for the money you are entitled to. Busted pipes and water damage repairs can’t wait. Call us today for a free consultation.
