Jun 05

Guide to request insurance claim reconsideration

June 05, 2018
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Have you submitted an insurance claim because your home or its content were damaged by the hurricanes Irma and Maria? Maybe you are not satisfied with the adjustment of your claim because the amount determined is not enough to cover the cost of repairing or replacing the damaged property. If this is your case, you have the right to request a loss adjustment reconsideration. The process takes time and it is important that you have the necessary documents at hand. Here, we explain in detail. How to do that? Include the following:
  • A reconsideration letter
    • List the items for which you are requesting a reconsideration
    • If you want the insurance company to consider items that were not in the original report, explain the cause of the damage and the extent of the loss
    • The letter must be signed by the policy holder
  • Estimates
    • Must be prepared by a certified professional or business
    • Be sure they state whether the damaged property should be repaired or replaced
  • Photos
    • Should show the damage and the cause of it
  • Content Damage or Loss form
    • Include a list of the content that was damaged
    • Be sure your coverage of content includes hurricanes as one of the insured risks
Claims on your property insurance (structure) As in auto insurance, every property insurance contract establishes that the insured must share part of the cost of replacing or repairing the damage suffered. This is known as the deductible. Your policy has a deductible between 2% and 5% of the insured value of the structure. Your property must be insured for the replacement cost. The replacement cost is what it would cost to build your property today again with materials of similar quality. Notice that it is not equal to the value or sale price in the market. The replacement cost does not include the value of the land. Evaluate how much is the deductible that you are responsible to assume. To do this, look for insured value in your policy and multiply it by the deductible. As an example if your property is insured for $ 100,000 and you have a deductible of 2%, you would have a deductible of $ 2,000 (100,000 x .02 = $ 2,000). The insurer will pay the excess of damages covered in the policy on the $ 2,000. Claims to the personal contents coverage Did you claim damages to your personal property or contents of your home and the claim was the adjustment was lower than expected? Check first what type of policy you have. In order for you to receive compensation from the insurer you must have the personal contents coverage. Content coverage is available through certain types of Personal Package policies, while Hazard policies only have structure coverage. If you have the content coverage determine the applied deductible. Content coverage also has a minimum deductible of $ 500 or 2% of the insured amount, whichever is greater, and the loss is adjusted to the Actual Cash Value or the original value minus depreciation. Remember that if the loss is below the deductible you will be responsible to assume it. If your damages were greater and you are still unsatisfied by the adjustment, check your loss adjustment report and evaluate how the insurer assessed the items you are claiming. Be specific in your reconsideration request and submit detailed cost estimates or invoices that support your request for reconsideration. Questions? We’re on your side. If you are insured through Popular Insurance, contact us to guide you through the reconsideration process. Popular Insurance is an authorized representative and general agency of various insurers in Puerto Rico. You can visit the Popular Insurance office on Corporate Office Park 36 RD 20 Suite 201 Guaynabo, PR, Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. or call us at 787-706-4111 (press 1 for Customer Service). For more information, go to www.popular.com. Remember, Popular Insurance is on your side to help you anytime.   Insurance products are not deposits, are not insured by the FDIC or other federal government agencies, are not guaranteed by the Bank, and they may lose value. Popular Insurance is a subsidiary of Popular Inc., and an affiliate of Banco Popular.