• Ohio homeowner's insurance laws are designed to protect the consumer.ohio flagge symbol image by Marty Kropp from Fotolia.com
  
  Though it may not always seem to be the case when you file a homeowner's insurance claim, the insurance company must act in accordance with your state's laws and can be penalized if it doesn't. Knowing certain laws designed to govern the insurer's behavior toward you can improve your claims experience by helping you understand why things happen the way they do.
  
  

Insurer Time Limits

• Ohio Administrative Code Sections 3901-1-07(C)(2) and (3) define the time periods your homeowner's insurance company must respond to your communications during a claim. It must respond to you within 15 days after you file a claim and must respond to all other correspondence within 21 days. This ensures your company will not ignore your requests for compensation after a loss.
  
  

Claim Initiation

• Section 3901-1-07(C)(4) of the code states that, even if appropriate notification was made by your homeowner's insurance company within 15 days after you first filed your claim, the insurer is in violation of the unfair trade practices laws if it does not implement reasonable procedures to handle your claim within 21 days.
  
  

Refusal of Payment

• Homeowner's insurance contains coverage for personal liability. If a claimant files a claim against your liability coverage, the insurer must investigate the circumstances surrounding the claim. Section Section 3901-1-07(C)(14) of the code specifically prohibits an insurer from refusing payment to a claimant simply because you ask it to do so without proper investigation. Whether you believe yourself to be at fault or not is irrelevant.