<img height="1" width="1" style="display:none" src="https://www.facebook.com/tr?id=799173596894770&amp;ev=PageView&amp;noscript=1">
Free Claim Review 800-958-4829
public-adjuster-1

Step-by-step guide

The Claims Process

Your insurance company uses a well-rehearsed process to settle property claims — and that process is not about making you whole. It's about reducing claim costs and protecting corporate profits. This guide breaks your claim into 12 manageable steps so you can go through every one of them with your eyes wide open.

The most important thing you can do

Document everything from day one. Photos, videos, receipts, and written records can make a significant difference if questions or disputes arise later in the claims process.

01

Eyes Wide Open

One of the most important elements to successfully settling your property damage insurance claim is going through each step of the claims process with your eyes wide open. Your insurance company's representatives use a well-rehearsed process to settle property claims. Be sure — their process is not about making you whole. Their process is about reducing claim costs and protecting corporate profits.

Making sure you receive a full and fair settlement for your property insurance claim is your job. This guide provides insight into the property claims process and helps break your property damage insurance claim into more manageable pieces. Keep reading — every step matters.

02

Read Your Policy

No two insurance policies are alike. Whether you have residential or commercial insurance, your policy was written specific to your property and its covered risks (also referred to as perils). Before you have any hope of making a full recovery for your damages, you must know your:

  • Rights

    under the terms of your policy, and under the Unfair Claims Settlement Practices Act for your state

  • Duties, timelines, and procedures

    and the rules your insurer must abide by

  • Policy provisions

    and the limits of your coverages

  • Policy exclusions

    what is and isn't covered under your policy

  • Options

    for how you can apply your coverages to your loss

  • Remedies

    available to resolve disputes if they arise

The language in your policy and how it applies to your loss is all that matters when you need to file a property damage insurance claim. You must read and understand it — or hire someone who does.

03

Meet Your Obligations

All commercial and homeowners insurance policies include language that details both the insurer's and the insured's duties after a loss. Carrying out your duties within the required time frames is your responsibility. Failing to meet your obligations can give your insurance company cause to delay or deny your claim.

Protect against additional damage

Your insurance policy requires you to take steps to mitigate against additional damage after a loss — boarding up windows and doors, tarping your roof, drying out a floor, or whatever reasonable emergency repairs are needed. This is a no-excuses obligation. Coverage for professional mitigation service is included in most policies.

Provide prompt notification of your loss

Report your loss as soon as you are able. Notify your insurance agent as well. When you report your loss, always provide truthful information — refrain from speculating about anything you don't personally know to be fact. Most policies don't define "prompt," but the further removed you get from the date of loss, the harder it becomes to prove the full extent of your damages.

Even if you only suspect damage — say, a severe hail storm hit your area — call your insurer, open a claim, and get a claim number. If it turns out you have no damage, or it's under your deductible, you can close the claim at any time without question or penalty.

Allow a thorough investigation of your damages

Your insurance policy gives your carrier the right to investigate any damages you report. Leave your damaged property unchanged until your insurer notifies you in writing that they have concluded their initial investigation. Insurers commonly use observation, background checks, and social media monitoring. You could even be asked to submit to an Examination Under Oath (EUO) — a legal proceeding where your sworn testimony is recorded. If called to submit to an EUO, it may make sense to hire a professional to represent you for your own protection.

If you've suffered business interruption losses, expect additional investigation into your business records and operations. Policies vary, but investigations can look back up to 10 years into your business history.

04

Document Your Damages

Cleaning up after a disaster is an important milestone in recovery — but cleaning up also destroys the evidence of your loss. Before you or anyone moves or removes anything from your property, make sure you document your damages thoroughly.

  • Take photographs

    Many, from all different angles — of your damaged home or building(s), personal property, and equipment.

  • Make a video of the damage. Go slow. Record everything.

  • Write a description of when and how the loss occurred, and the resulting damage — while the details are fresh. Be thorough. Do not speculate about things you don't know are facts.

  • Start a personal property inventory including the age, condition, and purchase price of each damaged item to calculate valuations as you go.

NEVER Throw out any damaged property

Even if it's obviously totally destroyed — until you've documented the damage AND your insurer has agreed in writing that the item(s) can be discarded.

05

Reach Agreement on Your Scope of Loss

Scope your loss means to identify and document every element of damage and what it will cost to fix it. A thorough scope typically includes photographs, diagrams, and a detailed estimate broken down by construction trades and materials.

Type & Extent Of Damage

Every damaged element of your home or building(s) — visible and hidden.

Materials & Labor

Quantity and quality of materials needed, and labor required to do the work properly.

Current Market Costs

Accurate, current pricing for all materials and labor in your local market.

Agreement Before Work Begins

Scope and costs must be agreed with your insurer before any repairs start.

Too often, policyholders are pressed to start repairs and assured they can add changes later. Most who go this route end up frustrated and short on money as the scope creeps out without insurer agreement in place.

06-07

Prove Your Valuations & Calculate ACV or RCV

Determining the full value of your claim takes time and effort. For your home or building(s), solicit multiple bids — the one your insurer compiles, and those from contractors you trust independently. You are not required to hire contractors recommended by your insurance carrier. Significant differences in estimates usually mean significant differences in materials, craftsmanship, and warranty.

For personal property, valuation is particularly challenging. Few policyholders keep an inventory — leaving them to recall everything they owned, when they bought it, and how much they paid. You'll need to determine whether each item was damaged or destroyed, and its value at the time of loss.

Actual Cash Value (ACV)

Most policies pay first on an ACV basis — replacement value of damaged property, less depreciation. Standard depreciation tables don't account for how well an item was maintained or used. Negotiating fair ACV requires a detailed inventory and exhaustive research. 

First payment — depreciated value

Replacement Cost Value (RCV)

If you have RCV coverage, once you replace the damaged property and submit receipts, you receive the difference between your ACV payment and the full replacement cost. Always save every receipt for any purchase related to your claim.

Second payment — full replacement

ACV and RCV are areas where policyholders are routinely underpaid. Some policies add further nuances — "functional replacement cost" or "guaranteed replacement cost" — that directly affect what you're owed. Know what your policy provides.

Miller Public Adjusters' reputation for proving full and fair valuation is one of the things that sets us apart. 

08

Track Additional Living Expenses

If a covered loss makes your home uninhabitable, most homeowners policies include Additional Living Expense (ALE) Coverage — also referred to as Loss of Use. ALE reimburses you for the reasonable costs of maintaining your normal standard of living while your home is being repaired.

01

Housing

Hotel, short-term rental, or comparable lodging while your home is repaired.

02

Storage

Reasonable costs for storing personal property displaced from your home.

03

Increased living costs

Meals, laundry, pet boarding — any normal expense that increases due to displacement.

  • Keep all receipts for every expense related to your displacement. 

  • Track expenses from day one — retroactive claims are harder to prove.

  • Know your policy's ALE limits and time restrictions before making housing decisions.

  • Document your normal living expenses so you can show the difference your claim caused.

ALE is one of the most underutilized coverages in property insurance. Policyholders often don't realize what qualifies, or fail to document expenses carefully enough to recover them fully.

09

Get Help For Business Interruption Losses

If you're a commercial policyholder and property damage forces your business to shut down, relocate, or scale back operations, Business Interruption (BI) coverage may apply. BI claims are among the most complex and most frequently underpaid in the entire insurance industry — because they require documenting not just physical damage, but economic loss.

Lost Income

Revenue your business would have earned but for the property damage — based on historical financial records.

Continuing Expenses

Fixed costs like rent, utilities, and payroll that continue even when your business can't operate. 

Extra Expenses

Additional costs to keep your business operating from a temporary location or under reduced capacity.

Extended & Contingent BI

Some policies extend coverage beyond the restoration period — or cover losses caused by damage to a key supplier or customer's property.

When severe property damage leads to business interruption losses, get a claims expert on your side immediately. The complexities in these claims grow exponentially — often leaving commercial policyholders unfairly subsidizing their insured losses without realizing it.

10

Resolve Disputes

Disputes are a normal part of the property insurance claims process. When they arise, there are formal mechanisms available to you. Knowing which path to take, and when, is where professional representation makes the biggest difference. 

01

Negotiation

Most disputes are resolved through direct negotiation — providing additional documentation, independent estimates, or a detailed counter to the insurer's position. An experienced public adjuster resolves most disputes at this stage.

02

Appraisal

When a valuation dispute can't be resolved through negotiation, either party can invoke the appraisal process outlined in your policy. Each side appoints an appraiser; an agreed umpire resolves any differences. The outcome is binding.

03

Mediation

A voluntary, non-binding process where a neutral third party facilitates discussion between you and your insurer. Some states require mediation before litigation can proceed.

04

Litigation / Bad Faith Claim

If your insurer has acted in bad faith — unreasonably denying, delaying, or underpaying your claim — you may have grounds for a lawsuit. This is when an experienced property claims attorney becomes essential.

11

Call the Commissioner

Every state has an Insurance Commissioner — a regulatory authority responsible for overseeing insurance companies operating in that state. If you believe your insurer has treated you unfairly, violated the terms of your policy, or broken state insurance regulations, you have the right to file a formal complaint.

  • Your state's Insurance Commissioner is your regulator

    Filing a complaint puts your insurer on notice that a regulatory body is watching. While the Commissioner cannot compel your insurer to pay more, a formal complaint triggers an official review and often accelerates resolution. In Wisconsin, contact the Office of the Commissioner of Insurance (OCI). In Illinois, contact the Illinois Department of Insurance (IDOI).

  • Filing a complaint is free and requires no attorney.

  • Keep records of all communications with your insurer to support your complaint.

  • The Commissioner can investigate claims-handling practices and take regulatory action.

  • Filing a complaint does not affect your right to pursue other remedies simultaneously.

MPpa_Claim_bgimage MPpa_Claim_bgimage_mobile

Free Claim Review

Don’t Fight Your Insurance Company Alone.

Start with a free review — we'll dig into your claim, explain your options, and let you know if and how we can help. No obligation, no pressure.

Free Claim Review