Geared Up Issue 1 2015 | Page 40

It’s every business owner’s nightmare: a fire, theft or weatherrelated event has caused your company to experience a loss. It’s also a risk every franchisee takes. Your next move is to file the claim with your insurance company, but what can you do to help ensure your claim gets paid? To begin with, you need to fully understand your policy. The first time many policyholders actually read their policy is when their claim gets denied. Give yourself a leg up by looking through yours, making sure you are aware of the specifics before it’s a critical need. Next, heed some advice from Pamela Hans, an attorney with Anderson Kill, P.C., who deals exclusively with claims litigation. She provides 10 useful tips for policyholders. | 2015 Issue 1 GearedUp Give notice early, broadly and often The sooner, the better. Also, some losses might be covered under multiple policies and forgetting to notify one of those carriers could mean leaving money on the table. Check your policies carefully because there are often specific instructions on how to give notice, down to the person to contact or the form to use. 38 Assemble the right team You can bet the insura