A HOA’s insurance policy maybe more involved than a normal homeowner policy, but it is fundamentally the same when it involves claims. As with any type of insurance claim, if not filed properly, the claim can be difficult to collect, if not uncollectable altogether. Following the basic claim steps can help insure the insurance company will honor the HOA’s claim.
First, the incident needs to be documented precisely and the more documentation the better.
All related materials (e.g. invoices, police reports, etc.), should be retained to be submitted to the insurance company or another third party.
If there are witnesses, obtain their names and telephone numbers.
Photographs and even video can help document damage. Photographs and videos are easily worth a thousand words when it comes to filing claims.
Third Party Claims – Third party claims are claims such as a person running their automobile into the front entrance sign or a utility company damaging an association fence while installing a telephone pole. With an automobile accident, the police should always be called to write a police report. By calling the police, the person will have to show proof of insurance and all the needed information from the driver can be obtained. With a third party such a utility company; obtain the names of the crew who did the damage and their supervisor’s name and number. Take a picture of the truck’s license plate, since large utility companies may have many trucks out performing work.
Insurance Claims – If an incident reaches the standard and level of filing an insurance claim, the insurance company must be notified in a reasonable timeframe. Not notifying the insurance company in a reasonable amount of time can jeopardize the insurance company paying a claim. After notification, generally a claim number will be generated and a claims adjuster will be assigned to resolve the matter.
What NOT to do when filing a claim:
- Do not spend much on temporary repairs before the claims adjuster inspects the damage.
- Do not wait to file a claim. Insurance companies and third parties may have time limits on how long they will honor claims after the fact.
- It is never a bad idea to contact the HOA’s insurance agent before filing a claim to seek their guidance in the matter. WDPM
Copyright – William Douglas Management, Inc. 2016