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Filing A Property Damage Claim after Motor Vehicle Accidents and Collisions...If you're injured, you'll probably file a property damage claim as well as an injury claim (since so many personal injuries are related to motor vehicle accidents and collisions).Here we take a brief look at how to file an insurance claim for damaged property. It's usually much easier than filing a claim for injuries. For most property damage that isn’t the result of a bad car accident there's a good chance the claim will be done under your own coverage. In a bad car accident where it's likely that someone else is at fault you'll file the property damage claim under their insurance. Unlike personal injury cases most of the communication with insurance companies here will be done over the phone. When you're able to do a third party claim it's the best case scenario for you - if only because you won’t be forced to pay a deductible. It's important to note that even in states with no fault insurance laws the property damage claim can still be against the other’s insurance. This is because no fault is limited to personal injury and not property. That said, if you can’t afford to wait for a settlement or you don’t think you can prove liability, it may be better to simply use your own insurance coverage. When you do that the question of fault can't come up and as long as you follow your policy’s rules there won’t be any stalls in getting your money. In the case of personal injury you'll need to wait until your health has settled before making the actual financial demands - until that point you won’t be able to report all of the damages. Don't Wait to File... In a property damage insurance claim there's no need to wait. The insurance company always has to be notified as soon as possible after an accident; and in the case of property damage you'll almost always know the full extent of the damage right away. When filing against the other person’s insurance your duty is to notify that company of the damage as soon as possible. If you've already had time to get an estimate on repairs then report that now. If not (as they'll likely instruct you) do that soon and then report back to them. You're never obligated to get multiple estimates but when you do, and if the estimates are in moderate agreement, there will be much less chance of facing an argument from the insurers. Again, in most of these types of insurance claims the settlement will be reached over the phone after a few calls. No formal demand letters are needed. If all goes to plan then in a few weeks you'll receive a check and a release form. They may come separately but either way you must sign the release before depositing the check. It goes without saying, but be sure to read the form carefully before signing. Make 100% certain that the release and check state that they're for your property damage claim and not your personal injury general damages or anything like that. The last thing you want is to sign an agreement that releases them from any further obligation to compensate you for your injuries. Return from Property Damage Claim to Personal Injury Settlements Return from Property Damage Claim to the Personal Injury Settlement Guide How Much Is Your Case Worth? Find out NOW! Complete this form for a FREE case review by an experienced attorney... The accuracy of information on this site is not guaranteed. Information on this site is strictly opinion and should not be considered formal legal advice. Under no circumstances should the information on this site be used to make decisions about the proper course of a legal matter. Click below to read our full User Agreement, Disclaimer and Copyright Information.
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