The Insider’s Guide to Collecting Every Cent from Your Hurricane Insurance

Hurricane Ian are dangerous and pose a huge threat anytime one starts forming. Once one strikes there is always damage and home insurance claims laying in its path. Unfortunately, a lot of the insurance adjusters and representatives that the Insurance Company will send out are overworked, underqualified, and hurried because of the sheer volume of claims that they have. Read on to see an insider’s guide on getting the most for each and every Hurricane insurance claim.

Hurricane Ian– What Happened

After Hurricane Ian ravaged Florida it left behind an estimated $65 billion dollars in damage. To put Hurricane Ian into perspective you would need to take the size of Hurricane Irma and then combine it with the strength of Hurricane Michael and that is the Hurricane that Ian was.

Hurricane Ian was a unique storm in that it didn’t rush through the state and then move on, instead it lingered for 8 to 9 hours wreaking havoc on homes and residents alike.

The Truth of the Aftermath

After many months and all the devastation that Hurricane Ian left behind many homeowners have been paid way too little, or haven’t even seen an inspector come look at their property. 100% of the cases that we are representing have not been paid, underpaid, denied, or worse nobody has come to see their property.

The reality is once a storm of this magnitude hits, you often will get an insurance adjuster who is underqualified or not qualified at all, and they are covering hundreds of homes at a time.

Another thing that is very common is Insurance Companies deliberately will underpay you in the hopes that you will say something like well it’s not enough but I guess we will go out of pocket to make up the difference. There is no reason you need to do that. Hiring a Public Adjuster can make all the difference.

How to Spot A Scammer

With disasters like these, there are always those looking to scam and get a quick buck out there. If you are having people knock on your door or cold call you, they are required to be licensed. Here are a few ways you can differentiate between a scammer and a real Public Adjuster:

• Ask them for their license number– you can use this to verify them online.
• Google search their name and company name to check their website and reviews.
• There is no money required upfront, adjusters don’t get paid unless you do.
• Storm pay for a public adjuster is 10% of the claim anyone asking for more is a fraud.
• Read everything before you sign it

What Is Public Adjusting?

Many who are in the path of Hurricanes are very familiar with what a public adjuster is and what they do. It is something that is a little more nuanced and new to those on the west coast. In simple terms, a Public Adjuster acts on your behalf during an insurance claim. They should start at the beginning but can enter at any point in the claims process.

An insurance adjuster from a company will come in and try to write the lowest total possible for the claim. A public adjuster will come in and write out the actual damage and show exactly how much is needed to restore your house to pre-loss condition.

Public adjusters are experts in both statutes in the state as well as the language of policies. These are the foundation of what they use to assist you with your claim. The best thing about the public adjusting industry is they don’t get paid unless you get paid and once you include an adjuster on your claim you on average make more than you would by representing yourself.

Flood Vs. Storm Insurance

Flood insurance is not required in all areas but a game you will often see insurance companies play is they will point the finger at the other company and say no that is their responsibility to pay. This is an attempt to not have to pay for your claim. A public adjuster advocates on your behalf and helps to draw a line in the sand by saying whose responsibility each bit of damage belongs to. Most homeowners are not familiar enough with the policy to know who carries the responsibility and this is where your public adjuster can step in to advocate for you.

How Fast Should You File a Claim?

By law, you have two years to file a claim but just like the insurance company needs to abide by their contract, you are also required to. If you see damage to your home you need to file a claim right away. If you don’t know how to do that or you are concerned about your claim trust a public adjuster to help you with the process.

Whatever you do, don’t say I’ll just fix it myself or just wait to file the claim because if you wait and then the damage gets even worse you won’t be able to get fully compensated for your claim.

Is Your Claim Too Small? 

The Insurance company is busy and so they may take a long time to come and help you and your family out. As public adjusters ourselves, we understand that you just want your home back and that is why we are available 24/7 to do free home inspections and to start the process of getting you back to pre-loss condition. There is no claim that is too small for us to help with. We are here to help you and your family and will do that no matter what the claim is.

Conclusion

If you haven’t been paid, are waiting for someone to check your home, or are just hoping you can get some help. Do what you need to do today to get some help. You can trust an expert like Florida Public Adjusting with all of your claims needs. You need an advocate and someone in your corner to get you every penny you need and get your home back to the way it was.