Insurance Claims, Property Damage or Loss

By law, insurance policies can severely shorten the time limit for bringing suit, though the Insurance Law requires at least two years if the loss is under a fire insurance policy.

All too often, insurance companies that charge low premiums are not too eager to pay for a loss. If an insurance company insists on a sworn proof of claim and examination under oath, you can bet that it will not want to pay. As far as proving the value of the property, there is one case where the blue book value of a car was held to be sufficient proof of its value. The law in New York has been that the owner of personal items is presumed to be an expert on their value, though the owner’s opinion is not given too much weight.

If an insurance loss involves other types of property, some kind of expert opinion will be gotten.