Will your property insurance cover damage after a hurricane? This is the million-dollar question and one that thousands of people want an answer to every single year. Unfortunately, we can’t provide a definitive answer here today because policies vary from one provider to the next. This being said, we can provide you with the tools you need. Whether you’re covered or not will depend on three things;
- The policy you have
- The type of damage
- The cause of said damage
While some policies will cover all types of damage after a hurricane, others will have restrictions. For example, a common one is flooding. If it doesn’t come in through the roof or walls (i.e. if it starts from the bottom up), you’re unlikely to be covered for any resulting damage.
Claiming Against Insurance Agents
When you make the initial claim, you expect the insurance company to inspect the evidence and then pay the amount you require to repair damage. Sadly, some cases aren’t this easy, and many providers will either send back a counter-offer or deny the claim. Suddenly, you’re left with a home that needs to be fixed and little resources to do it. What do you do?
If your claim isn’t successful, we recommend contacting an attorney. After assessing the damage, estimates, evidence, your policy, and various other important factors, they’ll tell you whether or not you have a case. If you do, it may be possible to challenge the offer or denial and make a claim against the insurance agents.
Partnering with a Lawyer
These days, insurance companies are known to try all they can to protect their profits and avoid paying money to reliable customers. Even if you’ve paid every single premium without a hitch for decades, they’re still extremely reluctant to pay people what they need; the amount they’re owed, to an extent.
If your claim has been under-valued or denied, it’s time to team up with a fantastic attorney and challenge. At Cannella Legal, we’ll support you and take the case as far as it needs to go. Without you having to pay a cent to get started, we may take on your case and negotiate with the insurance company.
At this point, we should state that many cases can be resolved here. Once the company sees you’re serious by getting us involved, they look at the evidence again and may even order a second adjuster to visit your home; you can sometimes request this yourself in light of new evidence.
If the provider still doesn’t want to pay after hurricane damage and they don’t want to settle, the case will be taken in front of a judge. If they side with you, not only will the insurance provider have to pay but they will also be responsible for your attorney fees!