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Frequently Asked Questions
ABOUT ATA
COMMON QUESTIONS
DAMAGES
PROCESS
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https://www.ataclaims.com/contact (https://www.ataclaims.com/contact)
Unfortunately, a common mistake made by homeowners is trying to assess the damages themselves and failing to take into account the full scope of repairs. Homeowners historically undervalue the severity of damages. The only way to appropriately answer this question is to contact ATA for a free policy review and analysis of the damage to your property.
Before you file your insurance claim,
You need to contact us first because there are a lot of things you might say accidentally to your insurance company that can cause your claim to be denied. We can help you to avoid many mistakes. If you are involved in a catastrophe or natural disaster, when many people are impacted, ATA may direct you to go ahead and call the claim in. That can be an easy form online or automated call that won’t prompt the usual interrogation, from them.
Policies are intentionally drafted vaguely, leaving them open to interpretation by your insurance company – most often in their favor.
Not many people take the time to read and understand their entire insurance policy. Insurance policies, just like all legal documents, should be reviewed only by attorneys and experts trained in property insurance policies. The policy is the roadmap that dictates how and how much a claim may be settled for. Suppose you are not an expert in property policies. In that case, it is almost certain that you will badly compromise your claim by failing to recognize coverages that exist or by failing to convince an insurance adjuster, who has been hired by the carrier to represent its interests, as to your interpretation of the policy. Furthermore, it will be nearly impossible for you to meet your burden of proof of damages without a detailed, line by line itemization of damages to your building, contents, or business loss.
To properly document an insurance claim and present it to the insurance company is a time consuming and emotional ordeal. After a loss, your whole life can be turned upside down. We will allow you to pursue your livelihood while we deal with the insurance company and prepare the claim for you. A property manager is not an insurance adjuster and does not have the expertise in claim documentation, thus without a policy expert on your side, you are almost certain to compromise your claim potential and not have your settlement and coverage interpretation in your best interest. You don’t want to accept a settlement that falls short of restoring the loss’s full amount.
YES! Contact ATA, and we can arrange a no-obligation meeting with you at the loss site to review your unique situation and the issues involved. Each loss is different and requires a hands-on approach to develop a plan for your recovery.
Most companies allow you three years to report a claim from the date that the loss occurred, each policy can be different. Each insurance company has provisions in their contracts for late reporting of claims that may make filing claims on older losses difficult.
YES! We help people like you everyday who feel that their insurance claim has been unfairly denied. First, we have to inspect the damages and review your policy to make sure your claim is covered. It’s easy and free and there’s no obligation.
If you have a legitimate basis for additional claim damages documented with the help of ATA, insurance companies often will make a good-faith attempt to resolve any outstanding differences.
Insurance adjusters are employed by insurance companies, and their loyalty is only to the insurance company. Insurance company profits come from policy premiums minus any money they pay out for claims. Adjusters working for insurance companies are trained to pay as little as possible for claims.
An insurance company may not cancel your policy simply because you filed a property damage claim. If you have had an insurance policy for more than 90 days, and you have made timely payments, your policy can only be cancelled for very specific reasons. However, it is possible that you will face a non-renewal after filing a claim.
The Insurance company can decide to drop you at any point in time, for any reason, besides personal discrimination (race, age, sexual orientation, etc.). Your rate can go up or they can drop you because they see you as a “high risk” customer. If you accidentally leave your iron on and it burns your house down, they can drop you due to “negligence”. Hiring a ATA does not change this for the better or worse. If your home is destroyed by an “act of God”, like a hurricane, then it’s not likely that they will drop you or raise your rate.
On the up side, if you have wind damage and your entire roof is replaced, you should be able to negotiate a lower rate because you’re less likely to experience leaks and other claimable damages.
The Insurance company is made up of a multitude of people. While there is definitely some friction between ATA Loss Consultants and Insurance companies in general, most of the negative emotions will be expressed towards us from people in the corporate office during settlement discussions, and you won’t have to hear about it.
We are professionals and we don’t take it personally. Your Insurance Agent (the person who sold you your policy) most likely will have no dealings with your claim whatsoever, so there should be no hard feelings. As a matter of fact, a lot of agents refer their clients to us, because they can’t legally represent the policyholder and they want to keep their clients happy.
A lot of the time Insurance Agents aren’t even notified of a claim, unless you, the policyholder call them and tell them. Insurance Agents are actually some of our best associates. Agents can’t legally represent their policyholders, so they often refer their customers to us, because there is nothing they can do when the insurance company isn’t paying enough and their customer is upset.
No. Insurance companies will likely try to dissuade you from using a claim representative.
Remember, their goal is to pay out as little as is allowed by your policy. Based on our years of experience, we know that meeting with your insurance company without the representation of ATA on your side can be confusing and could result in a denied or underpaid claim.
GET THE MONEY YOU DESERVE
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