Living in Florida has lots of positives like endless summers, entertainment, museums, sports events, and a lot more. But with the bounty of leisure, the state also experiences natural disasters. In the state of Florida, events like storms or hurricanes can strike anytime, and when they do, you should be prepared to take the necessary steps to mitigate storm damage and file your insurance claim for your property repairs.
However, claiming property insurance is a game where underpayment, delays, and dancing around deadlines can whelm you on all sides and you won’t be able to get what you deserve. But do insurance companies ever give fair settlements?
Of course, if they don’t, they won’t be able to stand in the market. However, they don’t provide it to everyone, fair settlements are reserved for those who are well aware of the rules and file the claim accordingly.
Usually, homeowners don’t know all insurance rules and make mistakes, due to which they will not get a fair settlement. In case you don’t know all the ins and outs, you can get in touch with someone who does and let them file on your behalf. But what mistakes do homeowners usually make while filing an insurance claim?
Common Mistakes Made By Homeowners When Filing Damage Claims:
Here are some of the common mistakes that homeowners usually make while filing property damage caused by things like – storm and wind damage, fire damage, sinkholes damage, etc.
Delay in filing an insurance claim –
The most common mistake homeowners usually make is not filing the claim on time. This mistake is easiest to avoid, but if kept neglected it may become the costliest. We understand that damages like roof damage may not be evident at first glance, but there are several damages that are easier to prove sooner than later.
Even if your policy comes with deadlines and offers more time, still don’t delay as it gives insurance companies opportunities to undervalue or deny your claim.
So, regardless of insurance deadlines, you must call your insurance company and file a claim immediately.
Fail to document the property before the storm –
As a public adjuster firm, we know how valuable excellent documentation is in claiming an insurance policy. The more robust your evidence of suffered damage in your document, the more leverage will have when claiming your insurance.
Document your property before and immediately after the storm as well. Pictures are great evidence to prove physical damage, so take photos of everything you find storm damaged.
Accepts the first settlement offer –
For many homeowners, dealing with insurance companies and their adjusters is quite daunting. Most just want their home to get repaired as soon as possible, making them erroneously accept the first offer the insurance company sent out. This can be a huge financial mistake because it may not be undone. Some insurance companies may not allow claims to be re-opened after cashing the check.
While your insurance company may offer a somewhat reasonable upfront in the first deal, don’t take it, it could be made better through more convincing efforts.
Fail to maintain your property –
Insurance companies only pay when there’s unexpected damage and not for the damage that could have been prevented. When you neglect or fail to maintain the health of your property, your insurance company will claim that the damage sustained was not because of the storm but of failure to maintain the property and may deny your claim.
For instance, if you have old and already leaking roofs and you left them unrepaired before the storm. Your insurance company will deny your claim by justifying that you didn’t prevent damage and the leaks wouldn’t have occurred during the storm.
Not mitigating the damage –
If your area has been through a major storm, then you might not be the only homeowner who suffered the storm damage. Thus, there are chances that your insurance carrier may take several days or weeks to come by your home (Public claims adjuster may help you submit your claim faster).
Meanwhile, you should mitigate the storm damage by putting up traps on your roof, or if you have broken windows, cover them up to keep rainwater and debris from entering the home.
Most home insurance policies have a provision that states the policyholder is obligated to mitigate the storm damages while the claim is processed. If you don’t mitigate the storm damages, you run the risk of extended damage that has not been covered for failure to comply with policy provisions. This can lead to the chances of not receiving the necessary funds to repair your home.
Not hiring a public adjuster –
The biggest mistake most homeowners made is not hiring public adjusters. But did you know, hiring expert public adjusters to negotiate the insurance claim may pay out an average of 3.5 times more than without one? Hiring a public adjuster who has expertise in storm damage claims can make a huge difference in receiving the necessary funds to repair your home.
Unfortunately, homeowners often balk at hiring for one simple misconception that “I’m struggling to get money to fix my home right now. I can’t afford to hire a public adjuster”.
However, many public adjuster firms like ClaimsPro USA don’t charge any upfront fee. At ClaimsPro USA, we get paid only when you receive your settlement amount. We work with you at every point of your claims at no cost to you. As your public adjuster, our job is to help you get the maximum claim amount that you are entitled to for your storm damage. We have already helped hundreds of Florida home and business owners successfully recover thousands of insurance dollars that would have otherwise not been paid.
So with our free inspection and no upfront cost, you have nothing to lose and much to gain.
To book your free inspection call now @ 1-833-252-4601 or visit – https://claimsprousa.com/
