As most locals know, much of St. Petersburg is vulnerable to storm losses – whether from hurricanes or other major storms. If you have adequate homeowners coverage, benefits from your insurance policy may cover your expenses. Unfortunately, the insurance companies do not always respond to claims in a fair and reasonable manner.
If your homeowners policy claim was denied, you could pursue the benefits you are entitled to with the help of our legal counsel. Let a St. Petersburg storm loss property claim lawyer from our team advise you of your options.
Compensation Available Through Homeowners Insurance Coverage
There are numerous expenses that can come with a storm loss. While the cost of repairing your home might be at the forefront of your mind, there are other significant expenses that could also accrue. You could be entitled to recover benefits for a wide range of these expenses.
Structural Impacts
Structural impacts to your home could make up a large part of your property claim. Storm losses could include broken windows, roof impacts, and flooding. The specific losses you could recover will depend on what caused the impacts and what part of the house was impacted.
Personal Property
In addition to the home itself, you could also be entitled to compensation for your personal property lost inside the home or business. Whether or not you are entitled to this type of compensation will depend on whether your policy covers personal property. If it does, you could be entitled to benefits that cover your lost clothes, appliances, linens, and furniture, among other things.
Temporary Housing Costs
With some homeowner’s policies, the insurance company could be responsible for the cost of temporary housing if your residence is unlivable. This could include hotel expenses, food costs, and other expenses related to relocating to temporary housing.
Every policy is different, and the Law Offices of Anidjar & Levine could help you understand what is covered under your policy.
Property Securing Expenses
One of the unexpected expenses related to storm impacts is the cost of securing your property. After the storm is over, your home could be vulnerable to additional impacts from wildlife, looters, or extreme weather. Your policy might provide you with coverage for the cost of boarding doors and windows or covering the roof with a tarp.
How Our Attorneys Could Help with Your St. Petersburg Property Claim
Most homeowners assume that by making their monthly premium payments and doing their part to comply with the terms of their insurance policy, the insurance company will do the same. That is not always the case.
In many situations, it can take extensive pressure to force the insurance company to keep their end of the deal and provide the benefits required under the policy. Our attorneys could help with this process in a number of ways.
- Investigation. Our team could thoroughly investigate your property losses and advise you on your potential recovery.
- Review. We could review your policy language to help you understand what to expect.
- Advocate. Our attorneys will advocate on your behalf and push the insurance company to comply with the policy terms.
- Negotiate. We could work with the insurance adjuster to negotiate a fair settlement.
- Litigate. If the insurance company refuses to take responsibility, we could pursue legal action on your behalf to make them.
While the process of securing benefits through an insurance policy can be stressful, our attorneys could remove that stress and handle the important work of pursuing your insurance claim.
Dealing with Insurance Companies After Storm Loss
While insurance companies have a duty to honor your policy terms, dealing with these companies is often difficult. After all, insurance companies are only profitable when they avoid paying out benefits. Because their goal is making money instead of ensuring that you are compensated for your losses, there are many situations where the carrier will make the claims process more difficult.
Some examples include:
- Delays in payment processing
- Delays in investigating the impacts
- Refusal to return phone calls or emails in a timely manner
- Unreasonable requests for documentation or inspection
- Inadequate settlement offers
In the most extreme cases, insurance companies can deny a claim entirely – even if the basis of your claim is strong. Sometimes they base their denial on technicalities, while in other cases they hardly provide a reason at all.
The good news is that a denied claim does not mean you have missed out entirely on your chance to secure a fair settlement. Our attorneys understand the bullying tactics insurance companies may rely on, and we know how to fight back. Our team will work tirelessly to help you get the payout you need.
Common Causes of Storm Loss Property Claims in Florida
Storms can impact your home in different ways. In some cases, the wind causes most of the devastation. In others, lightning is the primary cause. Some of the common causes of storm impacts include:
- Water. Water impacts can wreak havoc on your home in many ways. Not only could flooding cause initial impacts to your home, but it could also lead to mold that could be costly to remove. Keep in mind that flood impacts may be covered under a separate insurance policy beyond your basic homeowners or hurricane coverage.
- Wind. Strong winds could break windows, impact your roof, or even cause the structure of your home to collapse.
- Lightning. Lightning is a common cause of fire impact in heavy storms.
- Hail. Hail impacts can cause severe issues with your roof, even in a short amount of time.
As information from the City of St. Petersburg notes, it can take months before life after a hurricane goes back to normal. Even if you faced a tropical storm or other smaller storm system, you don’t have to let an insurance company undervalue the extent of your storm-related losses.
Understanding how storms impact your home is one of the ways our team could help you pursue a claim on your insurance policy.
Call Our Team for a Free Consultation About Your Storm Loss Claim
The aftermath of a major storm could be overwhelming for most people. Securing your home and seeking alternate shelter can be stressful, especially if your finances are limited. Your insurance policy should provide you with the means to escape the storm and repair your home.
When the insurance companies drag their feet, the Law Offices of Anidjar & Levine is ready to help. One of our storm loss property claim lawyers serving St. Petersburg can help. To learn how we could fight for the compensation you deserve, call 1-800-747-3733 for a free consultation.
We Can Help.
