Vandalism Insurance Claim in California

Vandalism is a willful and intentional act to destroy property. While there are steps that can be taken to help deter vandalism, it’s bound to occur on either public (i.e. your business) or private property — especially depending on the location of your home or business. As a business owner, vandalism can not only impact the look of your business, but it could actually interrupt your ability to conduct your business. In order to ensure you won’t suffer the loss of business in addition to property damage, it’s essential that you get a good vandalism insurance claim adjuster on your side. We know how to assess the damage, evaluate the loss, and we will work with you to seek appropriate compensation.

As a homeowner or business owner, you might feel intimidated or overwhelmed at the prospect of seeking the benefits that you’re entitled to as a policyholder. In order to not lose time or lose out on the maximum payout possible from your insurance company, our team at ClaimMax Adjusters will immediately get to work to fight for you against the power of the insurance company. While your insurance company has adjusters working for them who can assist you in filing your insurance claim, they work for the insurance company, which means they’re looking out for the insurance company first and foremost. Whereas with our team of vandalism claim public adjusters, we work for you. We promise to fight for your rights and help to ensure you don’t miss out on all of the benefits within your policy.

To learn more about how we can help with your vandalism insurance claim, contact us today.

 

Are There Any Laws Against Vandalism in California? California Vandalism Laws.

Just like any other state, there is a long list of laws in California devoted to helping fight against vandalism and provide justice to victims of it. However, those laws don’t cover everything. 

California primarily separates its vandalism laws into two main categories. Misdemeanors are typically small offenses such as graffiti that cause less than $400 damage, but they’re separated into tiers depending on severity. Felony-level offenses tend to be offenses that cause more than $400 or have special circumstances involved. 

However, in any case, the current vandalism laws don’t protect the victim financially. The offender is punished, but the state does not reimburse victims. The only way to get money back from vandalism-based damages is to hire the best insurance claim lawyer for vandalism in California while filing a vandalism insurance claim. 

 

Is Vandalism in California a Regular Occurrence? 

Just like anywhere else, California’s vandalism rates vary dramatically depending on region, and they tend to fluctuate annually. However, in 2021, 2178 of every 100,000 citizens experienced criminal property damage, and that number has done nothing but increase since. 

Unfortunately, while the per-capita vandalism rates are on the rise, the number of insurance companies trying to minimize payouts or deny claims altogether is also less than optimal. If you make a claim on your own, you are unlikely to get the full amount owed to you, and it’s likely that you’ll struggle to get the claim approved in the first place. 

You need a vandalism insurance claim adjuster to help you fight for what is owed to you.

 

How to Start the Insurance Claim Process

Insurance Denial Warning 

When property damage occurs most people want their insurance carrier to provide coverage in order to obtain reimbursement for the needed repairs as well as the usual collateral expenses that accompany the loss such as: 

  • Dry out/Restoration services, 
  • Contents-related expenses, 
  • Temporary housing, 
  • Food reimbursement, or 
  • Business interruption expenses (if it is a commercial loss). 

Not all claims are covered just because they are filed and you obtain a claim number. As a rule of thumb, carriers have been reported to use the following general coverage rule: 20% of all reported losses should always be covered, 20% of all reported losses should never be covered, and 60% of all reported losses are up to the assigned adjuster to decide. 

Because the initial claim filing if done by you by phone is recorded by the carrier, there is a potentially higher risk of inadvertently triggering a delayed coverage or a denied claim if incorrect information is reported to the carrier by you.

To minimize your risk of a claim denial, first, contact ClaimMax Adjusters free of charge to discuss if you should file the claim yourself or if you should hire a public insurance adjuster to file the claim for you. Also, discuss with a ClaimMax Adjuster if you should have a public adjuster meet the assigned carrier’s adjuster at the initial on-site carrier inspection. Initial on-site inspections are usually performed by the carrier to help them make a claim coverage or denial decision.

 

How To File a Claim? 

To get what you’re rightfully owed after a vandalism incident, you will need to file a claim and go through the claims process with your insurance company. This is a fairly simple process. 

To start, you’ll want to take photographs and video evidence of the vandalism to use as evidence when presenting your claim. You’ll contact your insurance company for the property that has been vandalized, provide them with the evidence, and provide your policy information, name, and general personal information. 

Once you’ve initiated the process, an assessor will typically be sent within a few days to a couple of weeks depending on the number of claims being processed at the time. The assessor will verify your claim, evaluate the cost of damages, and start the processing period. You shouldn’t expect approval or denial right away. The process can take a few weeks.

Of course, this is one of the most commonly denied claims, and insurance companies try to avoid paying out their full value even when claims are approved. 

Contacting a vandalism-experienced public insurance adjuster before contacting your insurance company can be pivotal to getting what you deserve.

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