Avoid These Common Mistakes When Filing a Florida Hurricane Insurance Claim

Filing for hurricane insurance in Florida could prove too complicated or even stressful. To ensure your insurance claim runs smoothly and that you receive whatever compensation you deserve, avoid some of the common mistakes that most delay or even bar a claim.

Here are the most frequent pitfalls and how to avoid them.

1. Failure to Document All Damages

One of the greatest mistakes householders and businesses make is failing to document damages correctly for hurricane-related damage. In your need to not lose a camera or video proof, you may be condemned to underreport the extent of the damage. Document everything from the outside of your property to any water damage that has occurred inside and list in detail lost or damaged items.

Jenkins Law can help identify what needs documenting to make your claim stronger.

2. Waiting Too Long to File Your Claim

Most insurance policies have stringent time limits regarding filing claims. Tardiness in the filing process may well mean denial of your claim. In Florida, it’s very important to report damage shortly after a hurricane hits your area. Right after the storm has passed and it is safe to inspect the damage, immediately get in touch with your insurer.

3. Not Knowing What’s in Your Coverage

Florida’s insurance policies can be mysterious, and one is likely to become perplexed about what is covered and what isn’t in the case of hurricane damage, especially flood damage that is excluded by most homeowner policies. Jenkins Law will peruse your insurance policy with you, ensuring that you know everything related to what’s covered and what is exclusionary to your claim.

4. Failure to Account for Hidden Damage

Sometimes, hurricane damage may appear to be lesser than what it is. Often, the actual leakage in the roof, structural damage, and hidden water damage remain unseen during your preliminary inspection. If you do not identify and report all the damages, then you tend to miss a great deal of compensation. The use of a public adjuster or service by Jenkins Law can make sure to identify and include the often-obscure hidden damages into the lists in order to get your full compensation.

This post was written by Kelly-Ann Jenkins of Jenkins Law P.L. Kelly-Ann is an insurance claim Lawyer. The information on this site is not intended to and does not offer legal advice, legal recommendations, or legal representation on any matter. Hiring an attorney is an important decision, which should not be based on advertising. You need to consult an attorney for legal advice regarding your situation. Click here to learn more! The information provided on this website does not, and is not intended to, constitute legal advice; all information, content, and materials available on this site are for general informational purposes only. Information on this website may not constitute the most up-to-date legal or other information. This website contains links to other third-party websites. Such links are only for the convenience of the reader, user or browser; the ABA and its members do not recommend or endorse the contents of the third-party sites.