If your home or business has extensive damage from a recent hurricane, you might have to live elsewhere until you have insurance money to repair or rebuild. Though your insurance company might give you a tough time about benefits.
You may have tried to resolve the situation independently; however, it might be best to call an experienced attorney in Deerfield Beach who will fight for your property claim.
Don’t hesitate to get in touch with accident attorneys. We are happy to review your case for free to see how we can help get you the financial compensation you may be entitled to receive.
A Hurricane Property Claim Lawyer in Deerfield Beach Is on Your Side
Our Deerfield Beach lawyers understand the apprehension and stress of an approaching hurricane and its aftermath. We also know how to apply our legal knowledge and experience to get your insurance company to pay you.
A hurricane property claim lawyer in Deerfield Beach will do everything possible if your legitimate claim is denied or disputed.
Why would your own insurance company give you a tough time paying benefits? The simple answer is money. In our experience, some insurance providers try to deny, delay or downplay your claim to save money. Our insurance claims lawyers are on your side and will stand up to questionable delay tactics, such as:
- Taking an unreasonable time to respond to your claim: Insurance companies should respond within 30 days. If they don’t, it’s usually because they’re trying to avoid paying out.
- Denying your claim outright: This happens when the insurance company doesn’t believe there was any storm damage. It could happen because of faulty inspections or other problems with your claim.
- Downplaying the extent of the damage: Some insurance companies try to minimize the amount of damage caused by storms. They’ll often say that only a small portion of your roof was damaged or the water didn’t go into your walls.
- Undervaluing the cost of repairing or rebuilding: You need to prove that the damages were caused by a covered loss (like a windstorm). But sometimes, insurance companies undervalue the costs of repairs. For example, they might offer $1,000 for a broken window instead of $10,000. Or they might not even cover the full cost of replacing a roof.
- Denying that you have coverage: Sometimes, insurance companies simply refuse to pay your claim. They may tell you that you don’t qualify for coverage. Or they may say that you had an opportunity to get flood insurance but failed to buy it.
- Claiming that the damage is due to your failures as a property owner: An insurance company might argue that your failure to maintain your property contributed to the damage. For example, they may say that you didn’t fix a leaky roof before a storm hit.
- Making false or misleading statements: Insurance companies shouldn’t make false or misleading statements about your claim. For example, they shouldn’t tell you that you must rebuild your home from scratch.
Please contact us today if you’ve been dealing with an insurance company over a hurricane property claim. We’re here to help. We’ll work hard to get you the maximum payout available to you.
It is unethical and possibly illegal for your insurance company to behave this way. A Deerfield Beach personal injury lawyer from our firm will hold them accountable. We may have to file a bad faith lawsuit if it means receiving the full payout you deserve. To request a free case review, please call our law offices.
What Services Can a Property Damage Lawyer Provide?
Working with a knowledgeable and experienced Florida property damage and insurance claims lawyer can make the difference between paying large out-of-pocket expenses. Our personal injury attorneys can:
- Examine your circumstances: Your insurance company has already hired experts to evaluate your claim. But we also understand what it takes to build a strong case. We can advise you on whether you have a good chance of winning your case.
- File a lawsuit: When necessary, we can file a lawsuit against your insurance company to recover all the money you’re owed.
- Stay in constant communication: We will stay in communication with you throughout the negotiation or court proceedings, so you always know where you stand.
- Negotiate a settlement: We can negotiate with your insurance company to reach a fair settlement.
- Describe your rights and best options: We can explain your legal rights and help you decide which option is right.
- Calculate your repair and replacement costs: We can calculate the total cost of repairs and replacements, so you know exactly what’s needed.
- Seek financial restitution for your losses: We could seek compensation if you suffered any financial losses because of the hurricane.
- Take your hurricane damage claim to court or in front of an arbitrator: If you want to go to trial, we can represent you. Otherwise, we can take your case to arbitration.
How Much Will It Cost Me to Hire a Deerfield Beach Hurricane Property Claims Attorney?
The cost of hiring a qualified attorney depends on many factors, including the complexity of your case. The average hourly rate charged by lawyers varies widely depending upon their experience level, geographic location, and other factors.
In general, however, most cases are handled on a contingency basis; the money is yours once we collect it. You won’t owe anything unless we win, and there are no upfront fees.
How to Improve Your Chance for a Successful Property Claim
One of the best ways to improve your chance for a successful claim is to know exactly what hurricane damages your property insurance does and does not cover. For example, some policies do not cover flood damage, while others only pay up to $500 per item. Many policies require you to submit photos of damaged items within 30 days of the loss.
If you don’t receive timely notice of your policy limits, you should contact your insurer immediately. This gives you time to gather evidence and prepare your claim before the deadline.
Typically, your homeowner’s insurance will cover:
- Hurricane winds causing torn, missing, or damaged roof tiles or shingles: Roof damage can be replaced at no extra charge.
- Damaged or lost vinyl siding: The policy covers the replacement of the material itself.
- Water damage to interior walls, floors, ceilings, and furniture: Replacement of these items is also covered.
- Damage to windows, doors, and garage doors: Replacement of these items is generally covered.
- Flood damage: Hurricane flood damage is typically covered. However, if your home was built after 1978, the federal government requires that you have flood insurance.
- Damaged, twisted, or missing gutters and rain spouts: Gutters and downspouts are usually covered.
- Damaged or missing fences, hedges, trees, shrubs, and landscaping: If your fence is destroyed, your insurance should replace it.
- Tree damage to exterior walls or roof: This is often covered by homeowners policies.
- Broken or damaged windows caused by hurricane winds: Wind damage to roofs, decks, porches, and other structures: Wind damage to roofs, decks, and porches is generally covered.
- Storm surge damage: Storm surge damage is typically covered.
Your specific policy may also cover temporary shelter, such as a hotel room or materials used to protect your home from further damage. Many policies require property owners to remediate damage whenever it is safe.
How to Prepare a Hurricane Property Claim
A member of our legal team can prepare your claim. You can also submit a claim yourself. However, we recommend contacting an attorney first. Here are some things you should consider doing before submitting a claim:
Contact your insurance agent immediately after the storm. They can provide information on whether your policy has special provisions related to hurricanes.
We recommend the following when you send a hurricane property claim:
- Follow claim submission procedures as stated in your policy: Most policies state that you must follow certain steps to ensure your claim is processed correctly.
- Double-check your property address, policy number, and other vital information: Make sure all your contact information is correct. Also double-check the address listed on your policy.
- Include clear photos or videos of property damage or loss: Photos and videos help insurance adjusters better understand your claim.
- Add information such as serial numbers for damaged or lost property like televisions and computers: Serial numbers allow insurance companies to match up claims with your property inventory quickly.
- Be sure to send documents and photos in the requested format if sending an electronic claim: Insurance companies often prefer paperless claims.
- Keep a journal of your calls and correspondence: It’s helpful to keep track of what happened during the process in case you need to recall details or promises made by your insurance company.
You also must pay the deductible for hurricane windstorm damage. This amount is typically a fixed percentage of your policy’s value.
A hurricane property claim lawyer in Deerfield Beach is ready to help you with a new or existing claim.
Hurricanes Are Life-Threatening Natural Disasters
Florida is famous for its sunshine and thousands of miles of white sandy beaches, but it is also known for the hurricanes that have ravaged it throughout history. The worst, according to AccuWeather, was the Okeechobee Hurricane in 1928, a Category 4 storm that claimed more than 2,500 lives and destroyed many homes and farms.
If you live in Florida, be prepared for another hurricane season. If you don’t already have flood insurance, now is the time to get it. Flooding is the leading cause of death in Florida due to natural disasters.
All categories of hurricanes have the potential to be life-threatening. Your property and personal belongings can be replaced. Please stay safe and follow federal, state, and local instructions when a storm is approaching to avoid personal injury.
Once the winds pass and the sunshine returns, start to take action to ensure that your insurance company is held to its promised coverage of your property.
Other Types of Cases Our Firm Handles
In addition to Deerfield Beach hurricane property claims, we are personal injury lawyers that handle all types of personal injury cases.
Our law firm helps clients recover medical bills and other damages types for cases including:
- Auto accident claims: We represent people injured in car accidents caused by negligent drivers.
- Severe injuries related to slip-and-falls: We represent people who suffered severe injuries from slips and falls at work, home, or elsewhere.
- Dog bites: We represent people who suffer serious injuries from dog attacks.
- Motorcycle accidents: We represent people who are seriously injured in motorcycle accidents.
- Truck accidents: We represent people whose truck accidents resulted in serious injuries.
- Medical malpractice: We represent people who have been harmed by doctors’ mistakes.
- Defective products: We represent people who develop health problems after using defective products.
- Products liability: We represent people who become ill because of dangerous products.
- Construction site accidents: We represent people hurt on construction sites.
- Wrongful death: We represent families of victims killed by others’ negligence
Time Is Crucial When Filing a Deerfield Beach Hurricane Property Claim
The longer you wait to file a personal injury lawsuit, the more challenging it will be to win. You should act as soon as possible if you believe you may have been wronged.
We know how important time is when filing a personal injury lawsuit. That’s why our attorneys are dedicated to getting results quickly.
Untreated property damage can lead to more problems. It’s also critical to file claims within your insurance company’s Florida statute of limitations and contractual time frames. We understand that rehabbing your property, filing reports, and dealing with insurance adjusters can be overwhelming.
However, the faster you permit our firm to begin investigating the facts of your case, the more likely it is that we will be able to obtain financial restitution and reduce your out-of-pocket expenses.
Our compassionate firm knows that property damage can put your life on hold. We will do everything we can to help you seek fair and just restitution.
We Protect Your Rights and Pursue Full and Fair Compensation
The Law Offices of Anidjar & Levine are passionate about helping people who are injured or mistreated by another person or party. An attorney from our firm is your strong legal advocate.
Property insurance policies are legal contracts. That is why it makes sense to have a hurricane property claim lawyer in Deerfield Beach review your case to protect your rights. We are ready to pursue full and fair compensation on your behalf. You do not owe attorney fees unless we are successful in this effort.
We invite you to contact us and ask one of our friendly team members about a free case review.