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MEMO
#1026: Reporting Property Damage - 1/15/03
When filing
a property damage claim, our clients must file the claim consistent
with the terms and conditions of the insurance policy in force.
Most industry policies require the claimant to identify the
cause of the damage claimed for coverage under the policy.
Our clients
therefore need us to provide them with thorough updates regarding
the cause of any property damage we report. If all required
information is not supplied on your initial update and we
have to follow-up with you to obtain information, the filing
of the insurance claim is delayed for at least that follow-up
time. Such delays can ultimately have a negative effect on
the client's recovery for the loss. Your cooperation in reporting
property damage as discussed below will reduce the amount
of time we spend tracking down important information and help
our clients to timely address important property issues.
Please
review the following list of items and be sure that all relevant
points are addressed in any update where you report property
damage.
IMPORTANT:
In all cases where a property has sustained damage, we need
a date of loss (the date of the fire, water damage, flood,
or vandalism occurred, if available) or a date of discovery
of damage so that our client can promptly file an insurance
claim.
Water
Damage
Keep in mind that when a claim for water damage is filed with
the insurance carrier, the carrier's first question is going
to be, "What caused the water damage?" Your report
must include your hypothesis of how the damage occurred (e.g.
broken pipe(s), roof leak, sump pump back-up, toilet overflow,
etc.). The carrier's next question will be, "What is
damaged (floor, ceiling, carpet, cabinets, etc.)?" Please
be sure that you completely and accurately report all damage
in order to help our clients expedite filing their insurance
claims. When the insurance carrier sends an adjuster to assess
the damage, our comprehensive reports will help the adjuster
make a timely and effective assessment of damage.
Flood
Damage
Do not report flood damage when you mean water damage.
While water damage will be covered under the homeowner's insurance
policy, if a property reported as suffering from flood damage
is not in a flood zone, there is no insurance coverage in
force. It is critical that you properly evaluate damage to
determine if it is attributable to actual flooding or to other
sources of water damage, and that you provide an accurate
description of the damage and an analysis of its cause.
Vandalism
Damage
Most insurance carriers require our clients to file a police
report when vandalism is discovered, although in some areas
the police will not take a report for vandalism if no report
was filed at the time the vandalism occurred. We rely on you
to determine if the report has been filed and to obtain and
forward to us a copy if a report does exist.
Fire
Damage
It is absolutely essential that you report the date of loss
and obtain and forward to us a copy of the fire report whenever
you report fire damage. This information will allow the client
to report the claim to the carrier and to assure the carrier
that the fire report is on its way.
Your comprehensive
reports allow us to promptly provide our clients with all
the information they need to initiate the filing of claims.
Only with your ongoing cooperation can we provide our clients
with the degree and quality of customer service that they
have come to expect from us.
If you
have any questions about reporting property damage, please
call the Hazard Insurance Claims Department or a Customer
Service Representative, or use one of these links to send
us an e-mail:
Send
an e-mail to Hazard Insurance Claims and Recovery
Send
an e-mail to Customer Service
Thanks.
Robert
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