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How to file a vandalism insurance claim?

Let’s face it; there are a few kinds of claims for frustrating than filing a vandalism insurance claim. Sure, if you’re prone to parking your car in a rough neighborhood; on some level, you realize that vandalism is a risk. But let’s be honest; in most cases, all of us think that this sort of thing won’t happen to us. Alas, when it does happen; even if you’re the victim of a random crime, it feels hurtful and personal. And if someone has done this for a specific reason; it’s even worse. So, knowing how to file a vandalism insurance claim is important; you want to get this over with as quickly as possible. Don’t worry though; we’ve got a few tips for you.

The first step to file a vandalism insurance claim

So, when you want to file a vandalism insurance claim, the logical question is; where to start? After all, this sort of process can be very bureaucratic; which is not something everyone is comfortable with. Don’t worry though; with the right South Florida public adjuster, this whole mess will get untangled pretty quickly; you simply need to go through everything methodically and with a clear head.

With that in mind; the first thing to do is get a police report. Naturally, many of the insurance companies we’ve come across require you to provide a police report; specifically when it comes to vandalism claims. So, once you spot that someone has vandalized your car; make sure you take photos of the scene. That way, you’ll have some first-hand evidence. And then, proceed to call 911. Naturally, this can be a serious sort of crime; so letting police officials know about it is the best thing to do. And if someone catches the culprit; then the insurance company will be able to sue him for the damages, or even you could.

A car exploding by the side of the road; a reason to file a vandalism insurance claim.
Vandalism is a serious issue; which the authorities don’t treat lightly!

Contact your insurance agent

Once you’ve surveyed what happened; contacting your insurance carrier is the next step you want to take. This is something you need to do as soon as possible if you want to file a vandalism insurance claim. So, once you make that call, prepare yourself for what follows. And that, in most cases, is a series of questions you’ll have to answer. Don’t worry, it’s nothing too difficult; just a couple of things that’ll let your insurance company get to know your case a bit better. For example, the first one will probably be about the time and date of the vandalism incident. Naturally, this is important, both for a police investigation and your insurance claim. You should know that your insurance claim deadlines may depend on this; so be careful.

Besides the time; they’ll want to know about the specific kind of damage that someone has caused to your car. Of course, the insurance company will also want to learn where you parked your car before this occurred. As you can see, it’s that sort of details that they need to have a complete picture. And besides all of that; they’ll ask you if you can name the person who has committed the vandalism – as will the police. Trust us; this is something that you’ll want to answer truthfully. Lastly, after you give them the number of the police report; the insurance agent will ask you for some contact information. Giving precise info is crucial here; you definitely want to stay in contact with your insurance carrier throughout this process.

Talk to a claims adjuster

Once you go into all of the details that go along with trying to file a vandalism insurance claim; you’ll see that this is not a simple process. As with all other kinds of insurance claims; you should expect your insurance company to investigate this quite thoroughly. And any procedural or material mistakes you make can be grounds for dismissing your claim; which means you’ll have to cover the damages entirely on your own. Needless to say; doing this with extreme caution is a good idea. So, what can you do to make sure your claim will go through smoothly?

If you ask us; not hiring a public claims adjuster is one of the most common insurance claim mistakes. People often go into this thinking they’ll easily be able to handle it on their own; which is almost always wrong. And that’s especially true when it comes to vandalism; we’re talking about a very specific type of claim, which really requires a professional adjuster to assess it properly. Why? Because, unfortunately, fraudulent vandalism claims are a thing people often do when strapped for money. So, these are claims everyone takes very seriously.

A banged up front part of a car.
A claims adjuster will help you through the process of covering damages!

Repairing your car

Once you’ve done everything else; you should waste no more time in repairing your car. If you’ve documented all the damages properly, your car doesn’t have to be banged up while you file a vandalism insurance claim. So, once you’ve completed the other tasks; make sure that your car’s repair goes smoothly. If you want to do that, firstly find a reputable car repair shop, that you know won’t do a lousy job. But also, make sure that your insurance policy is in line with this; maybe your insurance carrier has a list of body shops they prefer for their clients.

Naturally, you will have to provide a deductible to the repair shop, while they handle the repair. And the amount of this varies; depending largely on the details of your insurance policy, and the vehicle. So, before getting any repairs done; check to see how large of a deductible you have to pay. Trust us, the last thing you want is shocking yourself when the bill comes around.
A calculator next to a bill and a pen.
Calculate the deductible before going out to do any repairs!

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