Vandalism is one of those types of damages no homeowner or business owner will ever really truly understand. What was the intent behind the damage? Will it happen again? How am I going to get insurance money to fix my property? All of these questions are most likely going through your head after vandalism occurred on your property. However, the most important question if you are a victim of vandalism: does vandalism raise your insurance rates? Whether the damage is done by an individual or a group, we will talk about what can be done if this does happen to your home or business, the vandalism insurance claim process, and how a public adjuster can help you through this process.
Why Did Vandalism Occur At Your Property? Text Here
First, we feel it’s important to discuss why the vandalism happened in the first place, in order to prevent it in the future. In some cases, homes and businesses are not usually targeted and unfortunately are “just there” and ready to be vandalized. However, in other cases, it is the complete opposite, and your property may have been targeted. No matter the reason, it is important you get the authorities involved immediately. As soon as you arrive on the scene of your property damage you should contact the police so they can file a report.
In the next steps, we will discuss the insurance claim process of a vandalism incident, however, we wanted to briefly mention that getting the authorities involved is one of the first steps in filing a vandalism insurance claim. Having a police report of the incident on file is one way to get your insurance claim processed faster, especially in the beginning stages. The insurance adjuster is going to want to see this police report anyway, so better have it sooner rather than later!
The Vandalism Insurance Claim Process
When you go to file a claim, it is important to note that the vandalism insurance claim process can be a long and tough one. This is only because there are a lot of factors involved as multiple parties account for the damages are being taken into consideration. This is why your insurance claim may be taking longer than expected. Now let’s go over some of the steps in the vandalism insurance claim process.
The Beginning Of Your Claim
As we previously discussed, this is when the police will and should be involved. They are the first on scene and the first to file a police report of the damage. When filing an insurance claim, it is always important to have a police report of any damage to your property, especially in the case of vandalism. Once the report is documented, it is time for you to call your insurance company. They will send out an insurance adjuster to view your property damage, take photographs, collect documents, etc. to put together a report of their own on the insurance company’s end. A tip we have for you here: collect anything that will help build your own report. Those same documents and pictures your insurance adjuster will be collecting, do this for yourself so you can have your own account for the damage.
During Your Vandalism Insurance Claim
Now, this perhaps the longest part of filing your insurance claim. During this time period, you may not hear back from your insurance company for quite some time. This does not mean they are disregarding your claim. Your insurance adjuster is gathering all of the information and evidence to build their report for you. There are some things you can do during this time period that might speed along the process. This includes calling them often and making your insurance claim is their priority. We have talked about this previously, however, they are required to send you “a notice of intentions” within 30 days of filing your claim. If it is nearing the 30 days limit then you should be pushing your claim even further, in order to ensure you are getting the money you’re entitled to.
Towards The End Of Your Vandalism Insurance Claim
Now that you have reached the end of your insurance claim, what’s next? Well hopefully by this point you have relieved the money to fix the damages done to your home or business through your insurance company. If not, that is where a public adjuster can come in handy. They can negotiate your claim for you at any step in the claims process. They will go over your insurance coverage under your insurance policy to determine how much money you are entitled to. Once you receive your new settlement you can then begin repairs to your home. We suggest hiring a restoration company to help you restore all the vandalism damage back to normal.
Now - Does Vandalism Damage Raise Your Insurance Rates?
Now that you know a bit more about the insurance claim process, you will be able to understand how you are covered in the case of vandalism. However, how do you find out if vandalism will raise your rates? It’s pretty simple, but the best place to check would be your insurance policy. Under a homeowners insurance policy, for example, there may be statements that inform you about in what circumstances your rates may rise. Furthermore, if you have a recent history of filing a lot of insurance claims, your insurance company may have no problem raising your rates. Our best advice for you is only file an insurance claim if it’s necessary. In some cases, it can be hard to say whether you should file a claim. However, when there is vandalism involved, there is no denying that an insurance claim should be filed.
One last note for you -you can switch your homeowner’s insurance policy at any time if you feel that your current policy is not working for you anymore.
Hire A Public Adjuster For Your Vandalism Damage Insurance Claim
Performance Adjusting Is On Your Side During All Insurance Claims
As we mentioned previously if you are not receiving the most amount of money on your vandalism damage insurance claim, hire one of our public adjusters today! Not only will we be able to get you the most amount of money from your insurance claim, but we will also help review your policy for you. In the future, we can help you with your claim from beginning to end. As a public adjusting company, we have been representing families and their insurance claims for over 18+ years. Call or contact us today for a free consultation and learn more about how we can help you with a vandalism damage insurance claim.
