Especially if you live in a coastal state, you may have been through the process of filing an insurance claim after one of the nation’s significant hurricanes. Filing a homeowners insurance claim isn’t an enjoyable experience; how could it be if you’ve experienced damage to your house and belongings? However, if you go about it the right way, you’ll save plenty of time and stress.
Contact your insurance company as soon as possible.
You’ll want to begin the process quickly to make sure your homeowners insurance company tracks your report as soon as possible. Provide your contact information and policy number so your insurer can get in touch with you as needed. You’ll also need to explain the damages to your homeowners insurance company during this phone call. Insurers visit the homes with the most significant damage first to prevent any resulting long-term harm. That said, be honest; exaggerating to your insurance company in order to get more immediate repairs could result in serious repercussions. Stay in contact with your home insurance company so you can be prepared for an insurance adjuster to assess the damage.
Get your camera ready.
The best way to get a proper inspection and estimation is to take photos of the damages. Not only will this serve as proof to the adjuster, it may come in handy with your insurance company directly. Be sure to snap a few photos as soon as you can after a loss. If you have any “before” photos to compare the damages to, you’ll be even better off.
Check track of your inventory.
If you’ve already created a home inventory sheet, this step will go by much faster. In order to account for any personal property that got damaged or destroyed after a hurricane, you’ll need to compile a list of everything your insurance company should replace. If your home inventory sheet is divided by each separate room, you’ll easily be able to track down what got destroyed if a room is damaged enough to make the items unrecognizable.
Take extra precautions.
Your insurance company should cover the expenses of a visit from emergency services if they’re needed. If your roof has a hole in it, your windows are smashed, or another instance in which your home is exposed to the elements, emergency services will arrive to keep this bad situation from getting any worse. Placing a tarp on the roof or boarding up windows is their way of preventing further damages. If your insurance company deems your house unlivable, it will compensate you with additional living expenses so you and your family can stay at a hotel or with a family member during the repair process.
How the Deductible Works
Unlike most homeowners insurance claims, like a fire claim or water damage claim, you won’t pay your fixed deductible for hurricane repairs. Whether you have a deductible of $500 or $2,000 doesn’t make a difference in this case. Instead, your deductible is in the form of a percentage of your property’s insured value. Every state and insurance company charges different amounts for the deductible costs, so make sure you contact with your insurance company as well as the your state’s department of insurance to be aware of your costs ahead of time.