Insurance denied your claim?
Here's exactly what to do next.

The most common thing I hear from new clients is some version of this: "The insurance company denied my claim. I don't know what to do."

I'll tell you what most policyholders do: they accept it. They read the denial letter, feel a wave of frustration, file it away, and pay for the damage out of pocket.

It shouldn't. A denial is not a final answer. It's a position the insurance company has taken — a position that you have the right to challenge with the right evidence.

Here's exactly what to do in the first 30 days after you receive a denial letter, in the order I'd do it.

1. Read the denial letter carefully — and look for the specific reason

Every denial letter must, by law, include a specific reason. The carrier can't just say "denied." They have to cite a provision of the policy or a fact about the loss. Common denial reasons:

• "The damage is excluded under your policy." Often cited for wear and tear, neglect, mold, earth movement, or floods on a non-flood policy.
• "The cause of loss is not covered." The carrier is saying your damage came from something other than what you reported.
• "Pre-existing damage." The carrier claims the damage was already there before the loss.
• "Failure to mitigate." The carrier says you didn't take reasonable steps to prevent further damage.
• "Late notice." The carrier says you reported the loss too late.

Each of these has a different counter-strategy. Knowing which one you're up against is step one.

2. Don't argue with the adjuster on the phone

When people get a denial, the impulse is to call the adjuster and explain why they're wrong. Don't.

That phone call won't change anything. Adjusters take notes during these calls, and anything you say can become part of the record. If you say "I noticed the leak two months ago," you've just handed them additional ammunition. If you push back emotionally, they'll note that you were "uncooperative."

The right response to a denial is in writing, with documentation. Phone calls are where claims go to die.

3. Document everything — yourself, before anything is repaired

Before you do anything else — before you start repairs, before you talk to a contractor, before you respond to the carrier — photograph and document every aspect of the damage. Date-stamp everything. Get drone footage of the roof if you can. Save the box tops of any damaged appliances. Pull receipts for any prior maintenance that demonstrates the property was well-cared-for.

If you've already started cleanup — that's fine, just save the photos you took before. If you didn't take photos before, write down everything you remember about the condition: what was wet, what wasn't, what you smelled, what was making noise. Memory degrades fast.

4. Get an independent professional opinion

This is where most denied claims get resurrected. The carrier sent their adjuster to inspect. That adjuster works for the insurance company. Their job is to estimate the loss in a way that's defensible to the carrier.

You need someone working for you — either a public insurance adjuster like myself, or in some cases an attorney specializing in property insurance. We do an independent inspection, document the loss using the same standards the carrier uses, and produce a written estimate based on the actual policy language.

What we usually find:

• The carrier's adjuster missed damage that's clearly there. (This happens constantly.)
• The denial reason cited doesn't actually apply to the policy as written. (Common in standard-form denials.)
• The carrier didn't follow the process required by the policy or by state regulation. (Procedural challenges can win cases on their own.)

What happens next

Once we have an independent assessment, we send the carrier a written demand. This isn't a phone call. It's a documented position letter that lists every item the carrier missed, cites the specific policy provisions that govern, and asks for the supplemental payment owed under the contract.

Most denials don't survive this process. Insurance companies know that a well-documented challenge raises their cost of fighting, and they often prefer to settle properly than litigate. The denial was never the final answer. It was just the carrier's opening position.

What if it's been months — or years — since the denial?

Many policies allow you to reopen a claim within a certain window — sometimes one year from the loss, sometimes longer, depending on state law and policy language. Even if the original claim deadline has passed, supplemental claims for newly discovered damage are often still available. Bring us the paperwork and we'll tell you whether reopening is viable.

One thing not to do: wait

The biggest mistake policyholders make after a denial is doing nothing. Time works against you. Documentation degrades. Witnesses forget. State-mandated deadlines for filing complaints with the Department of Insurance run out. Statutes of limitation expire.

If your claim has been denied — recently or not — the right move is to get an independent review of your policy and the denial within the first 30 days. We do this review. No obligation. We'll tell you straight whether you have a case and what it's likely worth.