How Long Does An Insurance Company Have to Pay a Claim in Florida?

After you file an insurance claim in Florida, you will probably feel an appreciated amount of relief immediately. Everything should be back on track and straightened out in due time, right? If your insurance claim is like the average claim, though, the feeling of relief might turn into frustration as days go by with no word from your insurance carrier. It all raises the question: “How long does your insurance provider have to handle your claim and pay you for damages?”

It is difficult to say an exact amount of days your insurance carrier has before failing to respond to your insurance claim becomes a legal issue. Every contract is different from the next, and some may set up specific rules that flex according to different circumstances. However, consumer protection laws mandate that all insurance contracts set up a “reasonable” timeframe that is fair to the consumer.

In general, there are three important timeframes Florida insurance companies must follow:

• 14 days: When you first notify your insurance carrier about your accident or damage to your property, if you do not speak to a live representative at that time, the company has to contact you within 14 days, or two weeks. This same 14-day timeframe also applies to any subsequent and nonspecific communications, such as inquiries for updates.
• 10 days: One of the most important communications you will need to send to your insurance company at some point is a “proof of loss” form, sheet, or list. Basically, this is proof and calculations that show how much you believe you need to recover from the damages. When your insurer receives this form, it has just 10 days, usually, to start an investigation to determine to what it believes your losses amount.
• 90 days: When its investigation is complete, an insurance company can have up to 90 days, or three months, to notify you of denial or acceptance of your claim. You can probably expect the 90-day time limit to be used for larger claims, as the insurance company will want to find any and all ways to reduce how much coverage it gives you. If your claim is denied and the reasons for that decision are vague, or not given at all, it might be insurance bad faith.

Missed Dates & Extended Timelines

Once again, you may have to review your insurance contract to see if the 14-10-90 time restrictions apply to your insurer and your type of insurance claim. As soon as you suspect that a requirement date of communication was missed, you might also want to start suspecting that your insurer is using insurance bad faith tactics to try to delay your coverage. For more information about how to protect yourself from insurance bad faith, contact The Morgan Law Group and our Miami insurance claim attorneys today. We bring 40+ years of combined legal experience to each case we take, and always do everything we can to protect Florida consumers from unjust treatment carried about by dishonest insurance companies.