What if I do not know how the damage to my home occurred?

What if I do not know how the damage to my home occurred?

Video Transcription

Well, when people are dealing with an insurance claim, they generally want to provide answers and often people, if they don’t have an answer for whatever reason, feel foolish at not having one or feel like they should. So, in our experience, we’ve found that people with dealing insurance carriers, the adjuster are asked, “Well, how did this happen or what was the source?” Or in a water leak, “What was the source of the water?” And people just guess at an answer and in their mind, they’re using what they think is common sense. I saw A. I saw B. It must equal C, but in a lot of cases, we find that when our clients have made that kind of guess, they’re not accurate and their guess or reason they have given would be a reason for the insurance company to exclude the claim, when the actual and real cause is something that would be covered. Therefore, the most important thing is if you don’t know, don’t guess. If you think you know, but you’re not certain, it’s okay to say, “I don’t know.” It’s not your job to know how the loss necessarily occurred. It’s your job to report it and follow your policy requirements and do all the right things. If you need to, you may have to bring in the appropriate expert, whether it be a roofer, a plumber, a public adjuster or a qualified attorney, but do not guess when answering questions for the insurance company. Only tell them things that you know with certainty and within your own area or expertise.