Photo by Tony Hisgett / Flickr Creative Commons
Gotham Brokerage can guide you toward a more successful insurance claims process by helping you be prepared
Imagine waking up at 5 a.m. to standing water in your kitchen and dining area. The hardwood floors are buckled, and it won’t be cheap to replace them. What a relief to know that you have an NYC apartment insurance policy to cover the cost of the damage.
Otherwise, you’d not only have a big mess on your hands, you’d also have to come up with the cash to make the repairs. Hardwood floors, drywall and wood trim replacement would cost in the thousands to restore. With the right policy, the only money out of your pocket is the deductible.
A costly claim like that can be caused by something as simple as an overflow from your ice maker. In that case, you want to immediately document the damage and include close-up photos or video of the cause, if you know what it is, and call your insurance agent.
Be sure to have your policy number handy to help start the claims process.
Your insurance agent may give you the go-ahead to begin the cleanup process to prevent any further damage to your apartment or your neighbor’s, or he may prefer that you wait for an insurance adjuster to inspect the damage before any cleanup can begin.
It would be wise to have a contractor on hand so the adjustor and the contractor can examine the damage together. Your contractor may be able to point out issues the adjustor doesn’t see. Having the two of them on site at the same time — and having them both on the same page — could assist you later in the claims process.
Photo by judyjoshch / Flickr Creative Commons
Let’s say your issue is a theft or fire rather than an overflow. To file that claim, you need an official report from the emergency agency that responds, such as the police or fire department. Again, you must document any damage. For example, if someone breaks into your apartment by kicking in the door, take photos of the damaged door in addition to compiling a list of everything taken from your home.
Gotham Brokerage Inc. can help guide you through the claims process, no matter what your emergency. We’ve been matching people up with the right insurance agent in the New York area for more than 50 years. To learn more, give us a call at [telnumlink]212-406-7300[/telnumlink] or fill out the form at right.
