After a hurricane hits your home, the last thing you need is for your insurer to deny your claim or reduce your payout. Contact a property claim lawyer in Delray Beach if you need legal assistance.
Our law firm helps victims of hurricane damage who have been treated unfairly by their insurance companies. We can take on these insurance companies to help you receive a fair settlement to get back on track. If you have questions about your hurricane damage claim or want to file a lawsuit, call us today and get a free case review.
What Your Homeowner’s Insurance Policy Covers
If your home was damaged by flooding, windstorms, or other hurricane-related events, it’s important to know what damages are covered under your homeowners insurance policy. Flood damage is usually covered if the floodwaters rise at least six inches above the floor level of your home.
A typical homeowner’s insurance policy should cover damage to your home, its contents, and its surrounding property. Coverage may include some or all of the following types of damage:
- Damaged or destroyed auxiliary structures: This could include a garage, shed, fence, patio, deck, or pool.
- Damage to personal belongings inside the house: This includes things like furniture, clothing, appliances, electronics, art, books, and documents.
- Damage to personal belongings outside the house: This covers any damage to your car, boat, RV, or other vehicles. It also includes damage to your lawn and landscaping.
- Sewage backup into the house: Hurricane damage can cause sewage backups into your home. Your homeowner’s insurance policy may not cover the cost of repairing this type of damage.
- Water damage from broken pipes: Water damage caused by burst pipes is often excluded from coverage. However, if you notice signs of mold growth after a pipe burst, you should immediately report this to your insurance company.
- Mold damage: Hurricane damage can cause mold growth. Your standard homeowners policy may not cover mold removal costs.
- Flooding: Flood damage is typically covered if the flood waters rise at least six inches over the floor level of your house.
- Wind damage: Windstorm damage should be covered if the storm causes an average wind speed of 25 miles per hour or greater.
- Additional living expenses (ALE): ALE is an additional amount that your insurance company will pay to repair or replace certain items that were lost during a storm. For example, if you had to move out of your home because of damage caused by a hurricane, your insurance company may reimburse you for moving costs.
- Damage to electrical wiring: Electrical wires are often damaged during Florida hurricanes. A loss of power will likely require repairs to your home’s electrical system. Most homeowners policies may not cover these repairs.
- Water damage caused by a damaged roof: Damages to roofs are generally covered under most homeowner’s policies. However, if your roof is severely damaged, such as in cases where there is significant leaking, you may need to make separate claims with your insurer and your contractor.
- Hurricane damage to windows: Windows can be damaged during storms. Most homeowners policies do not cover window replacement costs unless they are listed as part of the policy.
- Storm damage to doors: Doors can be damaged during powerful hurricanes or tropical storms, especially if your doors are made of wood. Many homeowners policies do not provide coverage for door replacements.
- Hurricane damage to ceilings: Ceilings can be damaged during powerful storms. If your ceiling collapses, it may have to be replaced. Your insurance company may decide to pay for this work instead of paying for it yourself.
- Falling trees: Trees can fall on houses during hurricanes, causing extensive damage. Some homeowners policies exclude tree damage.
- Hurricane damage to floors: Floors can be damaged during hurricanes. This damage may include cracks or holes in the concrete slab.
- Storm damage to cabinets: Cabinets can be damaged during storms and may need to be replaced. Your insurance company may only cover cabinet material if caused by a specific peril, such as hurricane storm damage.
- Hurricane damage to appliances: Appliances can be damaged during storms causing them to stop working properly. You may have to file a claim with the appliance manufacturer to get reimbursement.
- Storm damage to furniture: Furniture can be damaged during storms resulting in its being ruined. This type of damage is usually not covered by most homeowners insurance policies.
- Hurricane-related fire damage: Tornadoes can cause fires when they pass through areas with flammable materials. In some cases, these fires can spread into homes. In addition, power lines can break down during storms, resulting in fires. The extent of damage depends on how long the line has been down.
- Debris cleanup: Debris left behind after a hurricane can create health hazards. Cleaning up debris from a storm requires special equipment and training. Homeowners can also seek compensation for debris cleanup.
If you have additional flood insurance, your policy also covers water damage. Your hurricane property claim lawyer in Delray Beach can go over your policy details so that you have a clear understanding of the type of compensation you can expect from the insurance company.
Bad Faith Homeowner’s Insurance
Although your homeowner’s insurance is supposed to protect you after a hurricane, that does not mean that the insurance company will automatically give you a fair settlement. An insurance company may come up with numerous reasons for not accepting your claim.
Occurrences of bad faith happen regularly. Sadly, you may not know that you qualify for a higher settlement because your insurance company convinced you otherwise. Insurance companies handle hundreds of claims after a hurricane. Therefore, they will find ways to reduce your payment or deny your claim.
To avoid a bad faith occurrence, you may want to seek legal assistance from a hurricane property claim lawyer in Delray Beach. A good attorney will help you understand what happened and why your insurance company denied your claim. They will then use their experience to negotiate a better settlement.
Call us today to learn more about your rights and how our law firm can help you during this challenging time.
Disputing Your Insurance Company’s Claim Denial
Insurance policies that cover hurricane damage can be complex. Many homeowners have no idea what their insurance policy covers. As a result, insurance companies may deny a claim based on a variety of reasons, such as:
Policy Exclusions
The insurance company may claim that the damage your home incurred was not covered in the policy. Therefore, they have the right to deny your claim.
Partial Coverage
The insurance company may also claim that the damage is only partially covered under the policy. Therefore, you will receive a lower settlement.
Lower Payout Based on Assessment
The insurance adjuster may give you a lower payout based on their damage assessment. As a result, their estimate may be lower than the actual value of the damages.
Lack of Documentation
The insurance company may refuse to pay if you did not take photos or video footage of the damage before it occurred. They may even ask for documentation proving that the damage took place.
Inadequate Damage Estimate
Your insurance company may offer an inadequate amount for your claim. For example, if you had flood damage, but the insurance company paid for wind damage instead, you may get less money than you deserve.
No Answer / Delayed Processing
You may not hear from your insurance company for months. By the time they respond, they may not provide a clear answer as to why they turned down your claim.
No matter what excuse your insurance provider gives for denying your claim or offering a small settlement, you do not have to accept their offer as final. Our firm can answer your questions and go over the details of your case: call us today for a free case review.
Legal Assistance Is Available for Your Hurricane Property Claim
If you are having difficulty with the complexities of your claim and are tired of the red tape thrown at you by your insurer, a hurricane property claim lawyer in Delray Beach can assist you with your case. We offer comprehensive legal assistance, including:
- Providing consultation to help you make the best decisions: We will evaluate your claim for free and explain your options to you. If we believe you deserve a better settlement, we will fight for it.
- Managing your entire case, including all paperwork and correspondence: We will keep track of everything so that you don’t miss any important deadlines.
- Gathering evidence that supports your property damage claim: We will gather photos, receipts, bills, and other documents that support your claim.
- Negotiating with the insurance company to get a fair settlement: Our experienced lawyers know how to calculate the amount of money needed to repair your damaged property. We will negotiate with your insurance company to get the most out of your insurance coverage.
- Filing a lawsuit against the insurance company, if necessary: Our hurricane damage lawyers will take action when our clients feel their insurance company has wronged them.
- Help you file an appeal: After receiving a denial letter from your insurance company, you should file an appeal within 60 days. However, we can assist you if you need help filing an appeal. Our law firm will investigate your case to determine why the insurance company denied your claim and develop options for what we can do to overturn their decision. We can re-open the case, submit all documentation, and engage with the insurance adjuster on your behalf.
When you experience storm damage to your home or business, you want to return to normal quickly. You need to focus on rebuilding your life and getting back to work. We will take care of the rest.
Proving Florida Hurricane Damage
In Florida, you can receive full compensation for your home repairs or replace your belongings. However, there are certain things that you should know before filing a claim.
For example, you must prove that your loss occurred because of a covered peril. You can also receive full compensation for your business losses. However, you must show that your business suffered a covered peril.
Your insurance policy may cover additional damages such as mold, water intrusion, and fire damage. In these cases, you must prove that the damage was caused by one of these perils.
Gathering Evidence to Support Your Hurricane Property Claim
When a hurricane destroys your property, it may be difficult to verify your claim. We can help you submit evidence to the insurance company, such as:
- A copy of your homeowner’s or flood insurance policy: This is essential to prove that your property was damaged due to a hurricane.
- Photos of your property: These pictures will help the insurance company understand the extent of the damage.
- Receipts showing the cost of repairing your property: The insurance company needs proof that you paid for these repairs.
- Receipts for living arrangements you had to make for you and your family: If you were forced to stay in a hotel or other temporary accommodations, you would need receipts for any additional charges incurred.
- Bills showing the costs of replacing your property: They will need this information to ensure that you made the proper payments.
- A complete list of everything that was damaged and covered under your policy: This includes the date of purchase, replacement value, and the deductible amount.
- Third-party contractor estimates for repair or replacement of your home: If you hired a third party to perform the repairs, you must provide them with a written estimate.
We Ensure You Have the Evidence You Need
If you hire us to represent you in your claim, we will gather all the above items and send them to the insurance company.
We will also prepare a comprehensive report detailing the damages to your property. This report will include photos, receipts, and other supporting documents.
If you experienced flooding during the hurricane, you would need to gather evidence that proves that your property was damaged by water. You will need to contact your insurance agent immediately after the storm so that they can send you a Flood Certificate.
You must keep all documents and evidence related to your case so that we can gather them and use them to your advantage. We will take on the insurance company and fight to get you fair compensation.
Contact a Hurricane Property Claim Lawyer in Delray Beach Today
At the Law Offices of Anidjar & Levine, we are dedicated to helping victims of hurricane damage in Delray Beach and across South Florida. We can help you get the payout you deserve from your insurance company.
Don’t delay taking action. Florida’s statute of limitations only allows up to four years to file a claim for hurricane property damage. Contact us to learn more about our legal services and get a free consultation.
We Can Help.
