How to Make a Solid Storm Damage Claim in Houston
During the storm, there’s a high chance of your house being affected in one way or another. In such cases, you can request compensation by filing a storm damage claim. In this article, you’ll learn how to work with a Houston insurance claim lawyer to make a solid storm damage claim.
Houston experiences heavy storms throughout the year, with another one expected in March onwards in 2021. The storm may move eastward across the United States. And the 7 million residents of the city expect a line of showers and storms.
While the impact may nowhere be similar to Hurricane Harvey, you should be prepared when it comes to insurance claims.
Contact Your Insurance Provider at the Earliest
Whenever a storm strikes, multiple houses get damaged. So, insurance carriers get tons of claims at once. Before compensating the claims, the agents visit the damaged site and take a review. In most cases, they visit the properties in order. So the person who has filed first for claims gets the priority over others. So, to ensure you receive the compensation at the earliest, you should contact your insurance provider or agent at the earliest.
Over the phone, you should provide as much information as possible. But make sure you’re answering any questions correctly. They may record the call for later review. And any mismatch between your statement and the review process will result in a delay.
In the meantime, you should go over the insurance policies and agreement before filing a claim.
Document Losses Incurred
While your insurance adjuster will review the damage and document everything, it’s wise to document the property from your end as well.
That’s because in case there’s an insurance dispute, you’d have proof to show from your side as well. You can take pictures or make videos of the damaged area.
It’s important not to discard any items until the adjusters arrive. Wait till the adjuster is done with his work and remove anything with permission.
Get Repair Quotes
Before filing the claim, it’s essential that you carry out an independent repair cost estimation. So hire a local repairer to go over the damages and offer you a quote for repairs.
You can use this as a benchmark figure for the compensation you receive. You can then decide if you’ve received fair compensation or are under-compensated.
File the Right Type of Insurance Claim
The main component of a solid storm damage claim is claiming compensation for the right type of damage. There are different types of damage insurance.
For example, if you’ve suffered wind damage, you need to file a Wind Damage Insurance claim. Likewise, if you’ve suffered flood water damage, you’d have to file a flood insurance claim.
Obviously, this would depend on your insurance coverage. If it doesn’t cover wind damage, then you might not receive compensation for damages caused by wind.
Claiming insurance is an easy process but can get tricky in certain situations. Since most people don’t read the terms and conditions page, it’s important to hire a Houston insurance claim lawyer. They’d go through the documents and suggest to you the best options to move ahead with the claim process.
If you believe you were under-compensated, you can challenge it in court by filing a lawsuit. Having a lawyer by your side can help you in this regard while you can stay busy fixing your damaged house.
