{"id":8441,"date":"2020-11-26T11:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-11-26T16:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.greatflorida.com\/?p=8441"},"modified":"2026-04-16T17:41:31","modified_gmt":"2026-04-16T21:41:31","slug":"insurance-claims-know-when-and-how-to-file","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.greatflorida.com\/blog\/2020\/insurance-claims-know-when-and-how-to-file\/","title":{"rendered":"Insurance Claims Process: Know When and How to File"},"content":{"rendered":"

Does it make sense to go through the insurance claims process for a home or auto repair? Here are some important factors to keep in mind when deciding whether to file an insurance claim. <\/strong><\/h2>\n

To file\u2026or not to file\u2026an insurance claim? Accidents and damage happen, and you are paying an insurance company to help you when they do. However, in some cases, filing a claim may not be in your best interest and may even work against you. <\/p>\n

Even after you have spent time and energy filing a claim, it may be denied, and the damage still needs to be repaired regardless. So, are you better off not filing a claim and just handling everything on your own? It\u2019s important to understand that filing a claim with your insurance company can pose a few risks and can cost you even more down the road. This doesn\u2019t mean you should never file a claim. Rather, you should know when it makes sense to file and proceed with the insurance claims process. <\/p>\n

Each insurer\u2019s process may vary, but here is typical Florida insurance claims process:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Open a claim<\/strong> \u2013 call your insurance company and let them know the extent of the damage<\/li>\n
  2. Document your loss<\/strong> – submit the proper paperwork\/photos<\/li>\n
  3. Verify the damages by a public and\/or independent adjuster –<\/strong> after they determine the cause of the accident, the adjuster will make a recommendation for how much the insurance company should pay for the loss<\/li>\n
  4. Insurance company provides an offer<\/strong> \u2013 you can accept their offer or take the necessary steps to dispute this offer and request a higher claim payment<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    When to Start the Insurance Claims Process<\/h3>\n
    \n
    \"filling<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

    Every insurance policy<\/a> is different, and so are your deductibles, which play a significant role in determining whether you should file a claim. For example, if the damage that you\u2019re filing a claim for is only $500 and your deductible is $1,000, then it would make sense to make the repairs on your own without filing a claim. Or let\u2019s say that the damage repair total is $1,200 and your deductible is still $1,000, would it then make sense to file a claim to save that $200? <\/p>\n

    In the short term, perhaps it makes sense. However, that $200 savings could quickly get chewed into by how much time and energy you\u2019ll lose filing the claim and completing paperwork. Not to mention, the more claims you file, the more at risk your insurance profile becomes, which can increase your premium when it\u2019s time to renew, and your insurance company<\/a> may even cancel your coverage altogether.  <\/p>\n

    \n
    \"saving<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

    Yes, depending on your deductible, you may pay less out of pocket, up-front when you file a claim with your insurance. But you should choose carefully which repairs you should actually claim.<\/p>\n

    Need Help Finding the Best Insurance Company for You?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

    With so many options in Florida, finding the best insurance company<\/a> can be challenging. At GreatFlorida Insurance<\/a> we can do all of the groundwork for you. In addition to finding the most competitive rates for you, our agents are also available to respond to all of your insurance questions. Contact us today<\/a> to get started.<\/p>\n

    \"This<\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Does it make sense to go through the insurance claims process for a home or auto repair? Here are some important factors to keep in mind when deciding whether to file an insurance claim. To file\u2026or not to file\u2026an insurance claim? Accidents and damage happen, and you are paying an insurance company to help you […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1219,"featured_media":8460,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5,91,30,1,10,8],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-8441","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-homeowners-insurance","8":"category-featured","9":"category-flood-insurance","10":"category-floridainsurance","11":"category-florida-insurance-industry","12":"category-renters-insurance"},"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.greatflorida.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8441","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.greatflorida.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.greatflorida.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greatflorida.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1219"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greatflorida.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8441"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.greatflorida.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8441\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13681,"href":"https:\/\/www.greatflorida.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8441\/revisions\/13681"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greatflorida.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8460"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.greatflorida.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8441"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greatflorida.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8441"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greatflorida.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8441"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}