Can I hire my own contractors builder or do I have to use those recommended by my insurance company?

Can I hire my own contractors builder or do I have to use those recommended by my insurance company?

Video Transcription

Like many questions asked of lawyers, the answer is it depends. And in insurance claims, it will greatly depend on your policy. Many policies today have provisions that are known as right to repair, where the policy sets forth that the insurance company within a certain period of time can elect to repair the damage through their own professionals, instead of allowing you to hire your own. However, there are a lot of issues that come along with this. There are very few policies that spell out exactly who’s gonna do the work, when, how, and things of that nature. The right to repair creates a new contract outside of your insurance contract. It can have pitfalls, but also benefits to you. It is important to understand that if you’re in a situation where your insurance company invokes the right to repair, or attempts to, you should likely speak to an attorney that’s trained in this area because you may have a say in the matter. For example, who’s gonna be coming in the house to do your work? Are you gonna have any ability to pick or choose the materials or colors? Is this stuff spelled out in the policy, and if it’s not, are they trying to force it on you without you having the right to negotiate or play a part in that decision making process? These are all important things to look at in the analysis, and that is why before you agree to anything like a right to repair or fight it, you should speak to an attorney that specializes in property insurance claims.