Property DamageInsurance Claim Lawyer in Cincinnati and Northern KY
When you purchase an insurance policy for your home or business, you have a right to expect appropriate compensation if unexpected damage occurs. However, many property owners who file a claim encounter unexpected delays, reductions, or denials. Working with a team of experienced Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky property damage insurance claim lawyers will provide the support and advocacy you need to recover the full and fair compensation you deserve.
At Lawrence & Associates Accident and Injury Lawyers LLC, our property damage insurance claim lawyers have recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for clients over the past 20 years. With us on your side, you can optimize your property or homeowners’ insurance claim. call Lawrence & Associates at (513) 434-6698 in Ohio, (859) 251-3591 in Kentucky, or complete our online contact form.
table of contents
- Understanding Property Damage and Casualty Insurance Claims
- Steps to Take for a Property Damage Insurance Claim
- Types of Property Damage and Loss Claims
- Why Hire a Property Damage Insurance Lawyer?
- How Lawrence & Associates is Different
- What is Insurance Bad Faith in Property Damage Claims?
- Contact Our Property Damage Insurance Claim Denial Lawyers Serving Cincinnati, Ohio & Northern Kentucky
Property & Casualty Claims
Understanding Property Damage and Casualty Insurance Claims
Property damage and casualty claims involve filing a request for compensation with your insurance company when your property has sustained a covered type of damage. If your home is damaged, your homeowners’ insurance carrier will send an adjuster to inspect the damage. The company will then determine your settlement amount, which is how much you’ll be reimbursed to make repairs. For most policies, damage from weather, burst pipes, and theft trigger coverage.
Although insurance policies outline the covered perils in detail, insurance adjusters may still try to deny valid claims or significantly underpay what they’re worth. Hiring a property damage insurance lawyer can ensure that your insurer treats you fairly and you receive the maximum possible compensation for your losses.
Steps to Take for a Property Damage Insurance Claim
If your property was damaged, it’s important to take immediate action to preserve evidence, mitigate further damage, and position yourself for the strongest possible insurance claim. By taking the following critical steps, you will demonstrate good faith to the insurance company while gathering the documentation needed to pursue your maximum claim amount:
- Document the damage through photographs and video.
- Report the damage promptly to your insurance agent pursuant to the terms of the homeowners’ insurance policy.
- Compile proof of ownership and pre-loss condition for damaged items.
- Create an inventory of damaged or destroyed personal property, including estimated values.
- Keep samples or swatches of damaged property, such as carpet, drapes, and similar materials, for the insurance inspectors.
- Make temporary repairs to prevent additional damage, such as covering broken windows or placing tarps on damaged roofs.
- Save receipts for temporary repairs, cleanup supplies, services from restoration companies, and other related expenses.
- Avoid making permanent repairs until the insurance company has inspected the property.
Types of Property Damage and Loss Claims
Property Damage from Tornadoes
Tornadoes can cause severe destruction, tearing roofs off buildings, demolishing walls, and sending debris flying at high speeds.
Property Damage from Burst Pipes
Pipes can burst from wear and tear, improper installation, freezing temperatures, water pressure issues, and other causes. Water damage from burst pipes can be extensive, requiring massive cleanup and restoration efforts.
Property Damage from Fire
Fires in commercial buildings put lives at risk and cause massive property damage.
Property Damage from Hail
Large hailstones can dent facades, break windows, damage roofs, ruin siding, and cause leaks.
Property Damage from Flooding
Rising floodwaters can upend cars, undermine foundations and warp floors, promote mold growth, and destroy virtually anything in their path. Extensive drying, cleaning, repair, and replacement of property are usually necessary.
Property Damage from Storms and Wind
Strong winds can tear off roofs, knock down trees and power lines, send unsecured items airborne, and cause water intrusion when flying debris breaks windows. Storm and wind damage can cause serious issues to your hone.
Property Damage from Ice
Heavy accumulations of ice can collapse roofs, break tree limbs, short electrical wires, and render roads impassable. Icicles that fall from roofs and overhangs also can cause injury and property damage.
Property Damage from a Fallen Tree
Trees that fall during storms often crash into buildings and vehicles. They can even land on power lines, creating additional electrical hazards.
Why Hire a Property Damage Insurance Lawyer?
Filing a property damage claim may involve numerous challenges, including unfair denials, undervaluation, and delayed payouts. A property damage insurance lawyer has experience negotiating with insurers to maximize recovery and can make them take your claim more seriously. Additionally, an attorney can file a property and casualty lawsuit on your behalf if necessary and help you with any denied homeowners insurance claims.
Our Personal Experience with Property Damage Insurance Claims
A partner at Lawrence & Associates and the leader of the firm’s Property and Casualty Insurance Claims Team, Meagan Tate joined the firm in 2021 after working in insurance defense for nearly a decade. This experience gave Meagan deep knowledge of the tactics insurance companies use to dodge valid claims. Having made the switch to represent injured people, Meagan now uses this unique perspective to resolve cases for those in need.
“I did not understand how emotionally exhausting a property and casualty claim could be or how greatly an insurance company could and would undervalue a claim until the roof of my own home was damaged by a storm. If I did not have the knowledge and experience as an attorney who had represented insurers in the past, I may have felt forced to accept the insurance company’s initial offer of replacing a few roof shingles instead of fighting for the full roof replacement that I needed. That experience made me determined to fight for other insureds” – Meagan Tate, Partner, Lawrence & Associates
How Lawrence & Associates is Different
At Lawrence & Associates, we respect our clients and want to improve their lives through the legal process. We operate under a set of rules we call our Client Bill of Rights—a series of guarantees we make to our clients that distinguishes us from other property and casualty firms. Some of the key items on the Client Bill of Rights include:
- The Right to Full Analysis: You will meet with a specialist who can evaluate all aspects of your case and ensure you’re filing the right claim
- The Right to Efficiency: Lawsuits are not short but should be resolved as quickly as possible. We endeavor to resolve your case more speedily than other firms.
- The Right to Updates: Your attorney will provide regular updates on every case development as it occurs, even during less active times.
- The Right to Specialization: At Lawrence & Associates, our attorneys limit themselves to a maximum of two practice areas to avoid becoming a jack of all trades but a master of none.
- The Right to Authority: Your legal team understands that you call the shots when it comes to settling or filing your case. The case belongs to you, and every decision is yours.
Our compassionate and experienced trial attorneys are here to give you a measure of justice and financial relief for what you’ve been through.
What is Insurance Bad Faith in Property Damage Claims?
Each state has laws that regulate insurance companies and how they handle policyholders’ claims. If an insurer violates these laws and acts in bad faith by denying or underpaying a valid property damage claim, they can be held liable.
Under the Ohio Administrative Code, insurance agents are legally barred from misrepresenting policy provisions such as benefits or coverages when they’re pertinent to a claim. Additionally, insurers are required to respond to any communication from claimants within 15 days, decide whether to accept claims within 21 days, and pay out accepted claims within 10 days if the payment amount is not in dispute. These laws prevent insurers from stalling the claims process in bad faith to avoid compensating claimants. Ohio law also prevents insurers from compelling claimants to take their claims to court by only giving lowball offers.
Kentucky’s bad faith law is similar to Ohio’s. It prohibits insurance companies and their agents from misrepresenting policy provisions, purposely delaying the claims process, and compelling litigation. However, Kentucky laws do not impose specific deadlines for communications, decisions, or payments.
Meagan Tate
Partner, Lawrence & Associates
Insurance companies are in the business of evaluating and balancing risk. If your insurance company is not fairly evaluating your claim, you should hire an aggressive attorney with a winning record that can demonstrate to the insurance company that the financial risk of litigation outweighs the potential financial reward of undervaluing your claim.
Our Case Results
Contact Our Property Damage Insurance Claim Denial Lawyers Serving Cincinnati, Ohio & Northern Kentucky
If you’ve experienced property damage in Cincinnati or Northern Kentucky, contact Lawrence & Associates today for a free consultation. Lawrence & Associates can help answer all of your questions about property and casualty claims. Our experienced property damage insurance claim lawyers are committed to fighting for fair compensation for Ohio and Kentucky residents and are ready to take on insurers on your behalf so you can recover from your losses. Our proven results speak for themselves. We work hard to get our clients the compensation they deserve. For more information on your rights, call Lawrence & Associates at (513) 434-6698 in Ohio, (859) 251-3591 in Kentucky, or complete our online contact form.
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