During long periods of heat and drought, wildfires may start and spread from home to home, causing extensive property damage. Fires may also occur because of accidents or arson. Wildfires can be natural or human-caused.
Natural wildfires are usually ignited by lightning. It can create heat that can ignite fuel sources or trees. Most blazes were sparked by lightning of about 12,000 strikes in several days.
On the other hand, human-caused wildfires can either be intentional or accidental. These activities can be open burning, dropping burning materials like cigarettes, use of engines or vehicles, or other human activities that can cause a spark or heat source enough to ignite a wildfire.
As fires become a more prevalent threat, insurance companies try to cut corners to save money. After dealing with the loss of your home in a fire, having a hard time regarding your insurance claim can be very frustrating.
Wildfire Insurance Claims That Can Be Denied
The aftermath of a wildfire can be very stressful especially when a valid insurance claim is denied. Residents expect their valid claims to be fulfilled after paying expensive insurance premiums. However, there are many cases where insurance companies deny valid claims with no explanations, leaving most homeowners desperate and frustrated.
Most of the time, insurance companies avoid payouts to their customers to save more money. However, they should have justified reasons for denying a claim. Some states have adopted the Unfair Claims Settlement Act (UCSA) that protects policyholders from deceitful actions of their insurance company.
Here are some types of unfair claims handling in wildfire incidents:
- Allegations of arson
Your insurance company can’t simply deny your claim due to suspicion that the wildfire was due to arson. This is actually a usual reason when insurance companies deny wildfire claims, and they always seek ways to have such rulings. Speak to an experienced property damage attorney in this case. They would be best placed to offer you advice on legal avenues available to you.
- Quick settlement offer
If your insurer quickly offers you a settlement for wildfire damage, proceed with caution as this is a tactic they often use to pressure the policyholders to receive compensation. They do this quickly before you even understand the extent of the damages. If you jump the gun on their first offer, it can be a costly mistake.
You can contact a skilled wildfire damage attorney who’s an expert in negotiating with insurers. If you have an aggressive legal team, they can help you file a lawsuit and that will help maximize all the compensation you’re entitled to.
- Refusal on renewal
Plenty of fire insurance policies in the country are denied renewal if the policyholder lives near an area prone to wildfire incidents. By law, companies should renew policies for at least a year if a homeowner lives near the disaster zone. If the homeowner lost properties due to the wildfire, they must be given renewals for two years.
If you still can’t get insurance, you can resort to the FAIR policy, a state-run insurance program that can be quite expensive, but it’s still insurance coverage.
Experienced Property Damage Lawyer
Haffner Law ensures you receive compensation for the property damage done to you. Since it’s not always easy to defend your coverage to your insurance provider, we’re here to help you recover the compensation you deserve.
Schedule a free consultation today by calling 1-844-423-3637 or by filling out our contact form.
