How to Get All You Can from the Insurance Company After a Hurricane
Living in a hurricane-prone area, you do all you can to protect your home from damage, installing storm shutters and reinforcing garage doors before storm season hits. Some damage remains inevitable though and the time to start maximizing your insurance claim is the same as the time to start minimizing damage--before storm season. It's a matter of ensuring you have enough of the right insurance coverage, quick access to the documents you'll need to file your claim and a way to keep in constant contact with your insurance company and adjuster.
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Instructions
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Before Storm Season
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1
Review your homeowner's insurance policy for hurricane wind and debris damage inclusions. If it doesn't have this coverage, contact your insurance company. If they don't offer it as a part of homeowner's insurance policy, purchase a hurricane insurance policy. No homeowner's insurance policy covers flood damage, so you will need to purchase a flood insurance policy, also.
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2
Create a written and pictorial home inventory, including the condition of your home and belongings. Make a video or take photos for the pictorial and copy or scan all receipts from major purchases. Store everything off site, either in a safe deposit box or on a virtual drive.
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3
Copy or scan each insurance policy. Store them in the same location as your home inventory.
Post-Hurricane
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4
Call or e-mail your insurance agent or insurance company immediately. Provide your policy number, a brief description of the damage and a current phone number where the company can reach you anytime.
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Create a written and pictorial damage inventory. Take photos and/or video of the damage to your home and its contents. Write a list of damaged items and include the purchase receipts for any damaged items.
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6
Make temporary repairs, if necessary, to protect your home from further damage. Keep your receipts and scan or copy them.
Negotiations
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7
Tour the property with the insurance adjuster, showing her all damage to structures and contents. If you have policies with multiple companies, you may meet with more than one adjuster.
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8
Give each adjuster you meet with copies of your written and pictorial damage inventory and copies of the receipts for damaged items and items purchased to make the temporary repairs.
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9
Review your Proof of Loss form the adjuster provides. It contains the final claim information and damage total submitted to the insurance company.
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10
Sign and submit the Proof of Loss form to your insurance company, immediately. Insurance companies set a time limit for submission of claims following an event.
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Tips & Warnings
If you don't agree with the insurance adjuster's damage report, you can hire a public adjuster to make an alternate report to the insurance company.
