Common Insurance Claim Mistakes to Avoid
Four common insurance claim mistakes to avoid after a hurricane. One, not hiring a professional to evaluate your property damage. This is important since some damages are not obvious to the untrained eye. Two, not reporting the damage immediately. This is important since some homeowners will try to fix the damage, but realize the damages and the cost of repairs will be greater than anticipated. When the damages are fixed in part or completely before the insurance company inspects, you are making it easy for them to deny the claim due to prejudice of not being able to determine the cause of loss. Three, not documenting repairs either with photographs or proper receipts. This is important if you repair the damages before the insurance company inspects, they will not be able to tell what happened before. You want to show what the damages look like before the repairs. You also want to have receipts, bank statements, or other documentation to show the amounts being expended. Refrain from paying with cash if you can. Four, not keeping damaged materials. This is important if you have missing shingles from your roof. You want to keep those shingles or tiles so you can show the insurance company what came off the roof. In general, anything that was damaged by wind should be retained so the insurance company can inspect them. Got questions? I suggest you consult with an experienced property claims attorney.