Florida Commercial Insurance Claims: Business Losses
Damage to your commercial property or business equipment, or any other interruption in your ability to conduct business, could affect your revenue and future growth. Even a short-term closure of your business could have a potentially damaging impact, which can lead to significant financial hardship.
You may suffer from business losses if your property is damaged by:
- hurricane;
- flood;
- fire;
- smoke;
- lightening;
- a sinkhole;
- mold;
- water damage;
- vandalism; or
- theft.
If you have suffered from losses to your commercial property, you may be eligible for compensation under your commercial insurance policy. Unfortunately, just because you have a policy does not mean that your claim will be paid. In fact, you may find yourself in the middle of an insurance claim dispute, in which the terms and requests for technical information can be intimidating.
To file a claim, it is best to get the help of an experienced Florida commercial insurance attorney. By hiring a Florida commercial insurance attorney, you will get assistance navigating the commercial insurance industry and their devious tactics.
Filing a Florida Commercial Insurance Claim
To claim compensation for your business losses, you will need to file your claim with your commercial property insurer. Before you do so, there are several important preliminary steps you need to take.
The first thing you should do after you suffer business losses is to try to mitigate the damage. This means you must make an effort to prevent the damage from becoming significantly worse. For instance, if a wind and rain storm has left a hole in the roof of your commercial property, you should hire a roofer to fix the hole to prevent further damage.
If you don’t attempt to mitigate the damage, your insurance claim for business losses may be denied altogether.
Next, you should collect evidence of your business losses. You can do this by taking pictures of the damage you have suffered. You should keep the receipts for any repairs, as well as the documents that relate to your claim. Any correspondence between you and your insurer should be kept with your business records.
Once you file your insurance claim, an insurance adjuster will be sent to estimate the value of your damages. It’s not uncommon for an adjuster to underestimate the value of your claim and offer a settlement for less money than you deserve. If this happens, your Florida commercial insurance attorney can attempt to negotiate with your insurer.
Going to Court to Pursue Damages for Business Losses
If these negotiations fail and your insurer denies your commercial insurance claim, you may pursue damages in a formal court of law. In a commercial insurance claims lawsuit, your Florida commercial insurance attorney can represent your legal interests.
A Florida commercial insurance attorney can help you with issues such as:
- underpaid claims;
- denied claims;
- insurance coverage disputes;
- requests for depositions and sworn statements;
- recovery for theft or vandalism;
- cases of fraud or arson;
- total loss; and
- litigation and trial.
If you do go to trial, your attorney will have to prove the damages that you have suffered, as well as the value of those damages. To do so, your Florida commercial insurance attorney can call on witnesses, submit testimony of experts and present evidence pertaining to your case.
Contacting a Florida Commercial Insurance Attorney
The Florida commercial insurance attorney team at Falk & Falk Law Firm knows how important it is to you and your company to get the settlement you need to move on with your lives. Our Florida commercial insurance attorney team has experience in helping victims of natural disasters—and other business owners’ nightmares—recover from their loss. An experienced attorney can help you to fight for the compensation you need and navigate the tricky world of business and hurricane insurance. Contact us today – (305) 742-0878.