With a home being one of the most valued and precious assets people own, it’s no surprise that many people opt to protect their homes from potential damage by taking out homeowners insurance policies. Unfortunately, however, even if insured individuals regularly pay their premiums, their insurance companies may not fulfill the terms of a policy and may act in bad faith in the event that the insured individual needs to make a claim against this policy.
Some of the specific ways in which insurance companies may practice bad faith in an effort to preserve their profits at the insured individual’s expense include:
- Billing policyholders for the cost of assessing the damage to a home (any such expenses should be assumed by the insurance company)
- Recommending unreliable, cut-rate repair services, the cost of which will be taken out of a homeowners policy claim (such services can ultimately do more harm than good to an already damaged home)
- Attempting to flat-out deny legitimate homeowners insurance claims by alleging that the damage sustained to the home is not covered by the policy
- Attempting to undercut the payout on legitimate homeowners insurance claims.
In these stressful situations, it’s essential that policyholders remember that:
- Their homeowners insurance policy is a contract.
- They can sue their insurance company for breach of contract and insurance bad faith.
- The insurance bad faith lawyers at Brown & Brown, LLP are here to aggressively defend their rights and help them secure the maximum possible compensation they deserve.
If your insurance company has denied or undercut your homeowners insurance claim, take action by contacting Brown & Brown online or calling one of our two offices for a free consultation. Dial the 3s for service in the St. Louis area: 314-333-3333 or 573-333-3333. If you need help in Illinois or elsewhere in Southern Illinois, call us at 618-888-8888.
