Wind, Rain, Storm and Hurricane Damage

Contact A Public Adjuster After the Event

The sooner you contact and hire our public adjusters after a weather event, the sooner we will send a representative to your property to assess the damage. The longer you wait to contact a public adjuster to place your wind, rain, storm or hurricane insurance claim, the longer you may have to wait for an insurance representative to come to your home. You will not be the only one placing a claim after the storm. Also, your insurance policy most likely has a “prompt notice” requirement, which will mandate that you provide your insurance company notice of your claim as soon as possible after the loss event.

Take Photographs Prior to the Weather Event

Other than securing your safety and supplies for your family; with regard to your property, one of the most advantageous tasks you can do prior to any weather event (and even on a regular basis) is take photographs of your entire home. Make sure the photographs or videos are date and time stamped. Use a newspaper for added date verification. Open closets and cabinets when taking pictures. Take close ups of flooring, cabinets, walls and ceilings. Don’t forget to take pictures of the garage and exterior. Many insurance companies will claim the damage were preexisting.

After the Storm

After the storm, salvage the items and property that can be saved and take pictures of any items that are beyond repair. Take pictures of the entire property; if possible before and after any anticipated weather event. Although on first glance much of your property may look like it has been totally destroyed by either wind or water intrusion, you may be able to preserve a substantial amount of your property by securing it from further harm. Not only will this allow you to save some of your valued property, but your insurance company will probably require you do what you can to protect your property from further harm and to mitigate the damage from the storm.

Let Our Public Adjuster Handle Your Claim

Do not “diagnose” your damage to the insurance company’s adjuster. Many property owners feel the need to “diagnose” the cause of the damage to their home to the insurance company’s representative. Property owners sometimes try to tell the insurance company’s representative what they think could be the cause of damage; thus the property owner’s diagnosis could lead to the damage not being covered! Let our public adjuster handle your claim and meet with the insurance company’s adjuster to prevent issues. For example, if a property owner incorrectly tells the adjuster certain damage was from “flood” as opposed to “wind”: as a result, the adjuster may deny an otherwise valid wind claim based on the property owner’s (inaccurate) representation. As a property owner, your job is to point out the damage. Allow the insurance company’s representative come to his or her own conclusions as to the cause of the loss.

Do not try to handle a wind, rain, storm or hurricane insurance claim without the professional assistance of a public adjuster. The repair of your home after a catastrophic loss is just too important for you to try and make it a “learning experience”. There are just too many tricks and technicalities involved with the presentation of a property insurance claim (Water vs. Wind vs. Mold losses?) to attempt this process without help. Additionally, since our public adjusters (by law) work on a contingency fee basis, our professionals are only paid if they obtain additional insurance funds on your behalf. Since it costs you nothing to hire a public adjuster, why would you not want get the benefit of a professional and let us take care of the headaches?

For more information on storm preparedness click here