If you’ve never experienced a storm, you may wonder how to file a storm damage insurance claim. Do you know which perils are included under storm damages?
Storm damages cover damage caused by natural calamities like wind, water, hail, lightning, and floods. These perils, in turn, play havoc with your home’s roof, pipes, walls, and electrical systems. Standard homeowner’s insurance usually covers damages due to wind, hail, lightning, and water damage, but not due to floods. Flood insurance is a separate policy sold through the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP); however, now some private insurers also offer it. When you decide to purchase a home insurance policy, you should be aware of stuff like what are the exclusions and deductibles as well as the maximum limit for a particular peril. If you live in a state like Florida where hurricanes and storms are commonplace, your insurance company may set a limit for the coverage or may exclude storm damage from hurricane claims. Speak to your agent to check if you need to buy a separate home insurance policy for storm damage that includes damage from wind, rain, and lightning, and make sure you understand all the clauses clearly. Also, find out if the ensuing electrical issues and roof replacement, if the shingles on your roof blow off due to the storm, would be covered.
When you hear warnings of an impending storm, be prepared mentally and physically to face its onslaught. Protect your home by getting storm shutters for all your windows, and fasten chains to doors and garden equipment that may get swept by the strong winds. It’s always a good idea to trim branches of trees near your house so that they do not cause damage to your property as they get tossed about in the storm. This is a good time to refresh your inventory of personal belongings as water-logging may spoil your home contents. Flooding may further cause a power outage so keep candles, matchsticks, and torchlights to tide over a few days.
Destruction from the storm can take various forms – lightning could destroy your electronics, your roof could be blown off by strong winds, and rainwater may enter your home, contaminating it. When filing an insurance claim, you will need to complete a detailed inspection of your roof, siding, gutters, walls, windows, and doors. If you miss something out, you can rest assured that the insurance adjuster would be happy to exclude it! Having a public adjuster by your side will boost your confidence that the claims process is in safe hands and will be handled without any glitches.
Experienced Public Adjusters is a reputed public adjusting firm with offices all over the U.S. We are a team of licensed professional adjusters who are experts in property and insurance matters. We engage with the insurance adjusters on your behalf, ensuring that all possible damage has been noted. Whether you require moisture mapping, a mold hygienist, engineering, or architectural expertise, we get it done so that there are no obstacles in the claims process.
For all your storm damage adjusting needs, contact Experienced Public Adjusters today!