14 Common Insurance Tactics That Delay Property Claims in Restoration Work

Restoration contractors & homeowners often find themselves caught in limbo with insurance companies, especially on fire or water damage claims. In these cases, solid documentation is critical not just for validation but for proving the legitimacy of work scopes and costs.

Here are the 14 Common Insurance Tactics That Delay Property Claims in Restoration Work

1. Slow Responses: Not returning calls or emails promptly, stalling your ability to get to work quickly.
2. Requesting Excessive Documentation: Asking for endless paperwork or details that don’t impact the claim.
3. Questioning Remediation Scope: Pushing back on job requirements, making you justify every detail.
4. Challenging Estimates: Disputing your estimated costs to reduce payouts.
5. Delaying Approvals: Postponing decisions on necessary repairs, leaving damage unaddressed and potentially getting worse.
6. Lowballing: Offering minimal payouts and refusing to negotiate reasonably.
7. Misrepresenting Coverage: Bending policy language to attempt to exclude certain repairs or types of damage, leaving gaps in coverage.
8. Blame Shifting: Suggesting the damage was due to pre-existing conditions or homeowner negligence rather than the incident.
9. Over-Monitoring: Sending multiple adjusters, or even private investigators, to find discrepancies that could disqualify or lower the claim.
10. Frequent Case Reassignments: Constantly switching adjusters, creating new delays and forcing you to re-explain the project.
11. Claiming Pre-Existing Damage: Insisting that some issues predate the disaster, which can lead to requests for old maintenance records.
12. Dragging Out Settlement Decisions: Extending the process so you or your client might settle for less out of frustration.
13. Unexplained Denials: Denying parts of the claim without clear justification, leaving you in a position to defend the work needed.
14. Misleading Coverage Limits: Giving unclear information about what’s actually covered, so clients and contractors expect more than the payout.

If you’re a homeowner facing property damage and are unsure about the claims process, call Integrity Environmental Testing for a free phone consultation. We offer certified testing and reliable documentation — easing the claims process by providing peace of mind and clear evidence to support the restoration journey.