Unless you don’t have internet or television, you know by now there have been several very damaging natural disasters just in the United States alone during the past two months. Fires in the West, Hurricane damage to states which border the Gulf of Mexico and along the Atlantic coast. First you get through the disaster itself, and then you try to put your life back together.
It’s times like these which can cause a flurry of activity for Attorneys who handle these types of cases. Insurance companies often have their own set of rules they follow and those rules sometimes cause big issues for people who are filing a claim and are hoping to quickly put their lives back together. There are some pretty straight forward situations, and granted some insurance companies have stepped up their game considerably, but there are others who have not.
Here are some tips from law firm Rooney & Rooney on a few things you should have ready before you contact an attorney:
“1. Check your policy.
Before making a claim for hurricane damage, we recommend you check your policy to determine your coverages. What we mean by this is for you to check what types of damage are covered under your policy, what your policy limits are, and what your deductible is.
2. Does your damage exceed your deductible?
Once you have determined what your policy covers, it is now time to determine if your damage exceeds your deductible. This can be difficult to determine and may require obtaining bids from a licensed contractor for repairs. For example, if you have one panel of your fence missing and that fence panel will cost you $200.00 to replace, yet your insurance deductible is $5,000.00, then certainly it would not be prudent to make a claim. If, however, your roof has been damaged and it will cost you $6,000.00 to repair it, certainly it would seem sensible to make a claim for damage against your insurance policy.
3. Gather your evidence.
Before making a claim, we suggest you prepare properly by documenting the damage with pictures and possibly expert reports to properly show the insurance company what the damage is and how it is related to hurricane Irma. If you have pictures from before the hurricane, those will be helpful as well. Any estimates or receipt for work done from your contractor will also be very helpful in assisting the insurance company with processing your claim.”
And don’t forget, if those phones get too busy, we are here to help. Call us and set up an appointment and we can get those phone calls answered and even help you set up appointments.
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