Orange County, CA Bad Faith Flood Insurance Claim Lawyer
Your home is probably one of the most valuable things you own. It is crucial to maintain homeowner’s insurance that provides a financial safety net in an unexpected disaster. Insurance carriers in the United States have a legal obligation to process claims for coverage in good faith. However, the average homeowner’s insurance policy can be very obtuse and difficult to analyze. Unfortunately, insurance companies are rarely helpful when it comes to interpreting a policy’s fine print, especially if doing so would mean the company must payout on a policyholder’s claim.
Water damages are one of the most common losses that a homeowner can suffer. While Californians generally do not need to worry about water damage from excessive rainfall, a home can experience issues related to poor plumbing and other issues. If you have recently experienced any type of water damage to your home in Orange County, the Winthrop Law Group, PC is here to help. We can assist you with any difficulties you face in the insurance claim process, including bad faith practices.
Why Do I Need Legal Counsel for an Insurance Claim?
If you recently experienced any type of damage to your home that you believe qualifies for coverage under the terms of your homeowner’s insurance policy, call our firm. It’s generally best to hire an experienced attorney before communicating with your insurance company. Hiring the right attorney to help you draft your claim for coverage can significantly reduce the chance of the insurance carrier unfairly or illegally pushing back against your claim. Additionally, should the insurance company attempt to argue that you do not have the type of coverage you need for your recent water damage, an experienced Orange County, CA bad faith insurance attorney is your best resource to determine the validity of your insurance carrier’s decision.
Hiring an attorney to represent you as you seek coverage for a water damage insurance claim can minimize the chance of encountering any bad faith dealings from the insurance carrier. In the event you do encounter any unethical, illegal, or deceptive behavior from an insurance company, your Orange County, CA bad faith insurance lawyer can help you hold them accountable, ensuring you receive the coverage you need and potentially securing additional compensation for any ill effects caused by the company’s actions made in bad faith.
Choose the Winthrop Law Group, PC
When you need an experienced Orange County, CA bad faith insurance attorney to assist you with a denied or mishandled water damage insurance claim, the Winthrop Law Group, PC can provide the legal guidance and representation you need for this critical matter. Our firm specializes in highly technical litigation that many other firms cannot handle. We have extensive experience handling difficult insurance-related cases and know how modern insurance carriers operate.
Our team can quickly and accurately identify instances of bad faith from an insurance company and help you hold them accountable to secure the funds you need after water damage to your home.
Common Issues With Water Damage Insurance
Water damage is one of the most common causes of damage to private homes in the United States. While a homeowner can typically purchase many types of insurance coverage options for their home in the US, water damage is unique.
Generally, water damage insurance coverage provides financial relief for any direct physical loss of property caused by water damage. Some of the most commonly cited causes of water damage that can lead to insurance claims include:
- Excessive rain or snowstorms
- Plumbing: Burst or frozen pipes, or other faulty plumbing issues
- Leaking Roof
- Slab leaks
- Vandalism
- Mold
Some homeowners believe that their water damage insurance protection will provide coverage in the event a burst pipe or plumbing problem causes water damage in their home. If your home experiences water damage due to a plumbing problem, refer to your homeowner’s insurance policy to determine whether you have water backup coverage or water damage coverage that specifically applies to water damage. It is also important for California residents to know that if they experience water damage due to a natural disaster, the NFIP may not cover their damages.
What Is Insurance Bad Faith?
If your home is damaged by natural water damage that you believe qualifies for coverage under the NFIP, and you have purchased insurance through your insurance carrier, you have the right to expect your insurance carrier to process your claim in good faith. However, it is common for people in this position to encounter pushback from insurance companies. Every insurer has the right to investigate a claim for coverage to ensure it is legitimate, but they must do so in good faith. “Bad faith” refers to any instance of an insurance company engaging in deceptive, unethical, or outright illegal measures to avoid paying out on a legitimate claim for coverage.
This is one of the reasons why it is so crucial to have reliable legal representation on your side if you intend to file a water damage insurance claim. Since natural water damage falls under the purview of the NFIP, if you encounter bad faith of any kind, it will likely fall to the insurance carrier processing your claim. Some of the most commonly seen examples of insurance bad faith in the US include:
- Unreasonable denial of a legitimate claim.
- Denying a claim without any listed justification.
- Unreasonable delay in the handling of a claim.
- Presenting a policyholder with false or incomplete policy information.
- Failing to investigate a claim prior to denying it.
- Directly lying to a policyholder about the extent of their coverage.
- Providing a policyholder with an unreasonably low claim settlement offer.
- Rescission of a policy due to a technicality. For example, the insurance carrier may attempt to cancel a policy to avoid paying on a claim, citing very weak justification for the decision.
If you have encountered any of these issues while dealing with an insurance company, the Winthrop Law Group, PC is here to help you. Your Orange County, CA bad faith insurance attorney will work closely with you to analyze your water damage insurance policy, review your insurance carrier’s handling of your claim, and assess any communications you have had with your insurance carrier regarding the claim.
If our team determines that an insurance carrier has acted in bad faith and violated their responsibilities, we will help you hold them accountable through a bad faith insurance claim. If you have experienced damage to your home due to natural water damage in Orange County, contact the Winthrop Law Group, PC today to schedule a consultation with an experienced and compassionate Orange County, CA bad faith insurance lawyer.