Most of the year, Florida residents enjoy fantastic weather; but during the Atlantic hurricane season, they must prepare for powerful and sometimes devastating hurricanes. If your house or property is damaged in one of these disasters, you rightly expect your homeowner's insurance carrier to cover the entire amount of your losses. However, this only sometimes occurs. If your storm damage insurance claim is underpaid, there are actions you may take to guarantee that you are fully compensated.
1. Property Check: First, hire a local contractor to inspect an exclusive property. The roofer will assess the extent of the damage to your property and provide an initial estimate for necessary repairs.
2. Register Your Claim: After receiving a reasonable estimate, the following step is to file a claim with your insurance company. You may also request that they call your roofing contractor so that they can immediately speak about your losses, saving you time and effort.
3. Meet with an Adjuster: After successfully submitting your insurance claim, the insurance company will send an adjuster to inspect. This may be accomplished with a reputable roof and gutter installation contractor. The adjuster will next advise you of the amount of damage to your house and begin the financial settlement procedure.
4. Rebuilding entails selecting materials to reconstruct or replace damaged areas of your home. If the insurance company approves, your roofing contractor will bring the components to your property and dispatch a team of construction experts to restore your home.
5. Final Inspection: Once the repair process is over, you should stroll through the job site. This allows you to check the repairs alongside construction company inspectors to ensure that there are no lingering difficulties.
Why Is It Possible That Your Storm Damage Insurance Claim Will Be Underpaid?
When you pay your homeowner's insurance premiums, you do so with the idea that if you submit a claim, your insurer will completely compensate you for your losses. What you might not realize is that your insurance company has an inherent interest in lowering claim payouts because the corporation must make a profit each year. Given this, your insurance carrier may justify underpaying your storm damage claim for a variety of reasons, including:
There are certain exceptions. Insurance companies frequently attempt to argue that part, or all, of the losses, stated in a claim fall within an "exclusion" or "restriction" to coverage, so decreasing the claim's value.
Inadequate supporting evidence. The insurance company may claim that you did not present sufficient documentation to substantiate the value of your claim.
Repair expenses are being understated. The adjuster may have overestimated the real cost of repairs. Keep in mind that the adjuster works for the insurance company.
Failure to reduce harm. This implies they're alleging you made the harm worse by failing to take precautions after the first storm damage.
Forms/documents are missing. Claimants are inundated with form and document requests from insurance firms. A single missing form/document is frequently used to justify underpaying a claim.
What to Do If Your Storm Damage Insurance Claim Is Underpaid?
If your house or property was destroyed in a hurricane, finding out that your insurance company undervalued your claim is an added insult. The good news is that the procedures below can assist you in resolving the issue and ensuring that your claim is paid in full:
Examine your insurance coverage. Examine your insurance policy for restrictions or limitations to coverage if the underpayment was justified by one of these factors.
Examine how losses were classified. A storm can inflict various casualties, including wind, rain, and falling debris damage. If your policy prohibits specific losses, your insurance company may mistakenly classify damage as that form of loss to avoid covering the loss.
Collect evidence to support your claim. Be prepared to provide documentation to support your argument that it was underpaid.
Contact your insurance provider. In writing, contact your insurance agent and explain why you feel the claim was underpaid. Attach or provide copies of all supporting paperwork. I request that your agent re-evaluate the claim and the worth of your damages.
Speak with an expert storm damage insurance claim lawyer. If you have exhausted all attempts to resolve your unpaid claim with your insurance provider, it is time to call an experienced storm damage insurance claim attorney.
Contact public adjusters like Santos Public adjusters to make sure your insurance coverage isn't sub-optimal at best.