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Property damage claims are those that are made by the owner of a damaged vehicle, following the occurrence of an accident.
Each such claim comes with a limited amount of paperwork
• Repair estimates
• Blue book quotes
• Appraisals by inspectors
Types of damage claims
Collision repair: could be combined with diminished value claim
Diminished value: Car’s value reduced by the fact that it was involved in an accident
Total loss: An insurance company decides whether or not a damaged auto is a total loss. It might declare a car totaled, if the damage cannot be repaired. Alternately, it could be that the cost of repairs would be greater than the car’s value.
Issues that could arise, in relation to a damage claim
Issues arise most often when an insurance company has declared a damaged vehicle to be a total loss. At that time, the vehicle’s owner might dispute the figure quoted as the fair market value.
Sometimes, an owner has photographs that can support the owner’s argument. For instance, there might be photographs of accessories that were placed on the vehicle, before it got damaged. If an owner can produce such photographs, then the insurer might agree to offer more money for the totaled vehicle.
That is one of the few times when an insurer might agree to increase the value of a damaged car, and thus offer the owner more money. The fact that an owner feels that a damaged automobile would have sold for more money, if it had not been wrecked, does not hold water with an insurance company.
Personal Injury Lawyer in Sarnia know that sometimes issues arise in relation to collision repair. There are 2 added components of collision repair. One involves reimbursement for loss of property. In that case, the claimant needs to document the value that has been given for the lost item. In the absence of such documentation, the insurance company would have no reason to give the claimant the amount of money requested.
The other component of collision repair concerns the owner’s loss of use; he or she cannot use a damaged car. The reimbursement for loss of use could take one of 2 forms. It might be that the insurance company agrees to pay for a rental car. Yet some claimants might prefer to receive cash.
A cash payment could be used to pay for public transportation, for a taxi, or for the services of Uber or Lyft. Sometimes, too, rental agencies get forced to offer certain customers a bargain. If a customer has a coupon for a certain type of automobile, and that type is not available, then the customer might get a more expensive item at the price that was quoted on the coupon.