Criminal Law
Hurricane and Storm Damage Insurance Claims
Florida Hurricane and Storm Damage Insurance Claims
![Hurricane and Storm Damage Insurance Claims](/static/2024/04/46_hurricane-storm.jpg)
Floridians are used to severe weather, such as hurricanes, tropical storms, heavy winds, rain and hail storms. Many times, these natural disasters that can wreak havoc on homes in the Sunshine State require extensive property damage that results in homeowners needing to file an insurance claim. When you have property damage from a hurricane or storm, you must act quickly. While you look to your insurance company to side with you and make the necessary repairs to your home, the truth of the matter is that insurance companies are in the business to make money, not lose it, which is why they will often delay or deny claims in order to skip out on having to pay for the full scope of damages. Insurance companies will do everything they can to save a buck, and even if they do pay out money to you, the adjuster assigned to your case may act in bad faith to lessen your total payout. You want to make sure that you recoup enough coverage to cover the damage that has been done to your property, which is why you need to enlist the help of a property damage lawyer who has experience handling insurance litigation. Our team of Florida Hurricane and Storm Damage Lawyers at Whittel & Melton has helped numerous residential and business property owners recover the full amount for their losses caused by hurricanes, tropical storms, windstorms, and hail damage, and we can help your family, too.
Do I Have a Florida Hurricane Property Damage Claim?
If you your home or other property has had any of the following damages after a hurricane, then it may be in your best interest to file a claim for damages:
- Roof Lifting or other damages
- Broken windows
- Siding damages
- Garage door damages
- Water or moisture damages
- Fire damage
- Septic tank damages
- Vehicle damages
- Projectile damages
- Damages to the structure of the home or property
- Other types of property losses, such as furniture, clothing, valuables, etc.
- All other types of storm-related damages
What About a Hail Damage Claim in Florida?
Due to hurricanes and tropical storms getting most of the media attention in Florida, we often fail to talk about hail and the damage it can bring. The National Weather Service reports that hailstorms cause about $1 billion in damage per year. Hail is less predictable than other types of inclement weather, but when it does happen, the damage can be quite costly. Even just five minutes of hail damage can destroy vehicles, windows, roofs, siding, screen doors, and other property types. Homes and cars that have been subjected to a destructive hailstorm need repairs, and homeowners will turn to their insurance companies for help, and rightfully so. If your home or property has been damaged by hail, then you may have an insurance claim for hail damage. The following are damages that warrant a property damage claim:
- Damage to a car
- Roof damage
- Broken windows
- Damage to gutters
- Damage to siding
- AC repair or replacement
- Water damage
- Electrical damage
- Dented garage doors
- Other damages
If your insurance company has flat out denied your claim, undervalued your losses, or is giving you the run around about whether or not they will approve your claim, then you need to consult with our Florida Hurricane and Storm Damage Lawyers at Whittel & Melton who can help you get the funds for all hail damage repair you desperately need. We are experienced insurance claim attorneys in the state of Florida who can help you negotiate with the insurance company, and, when necessary, fight for a fair settlement in court.
How Do I File a Hurricane or Storm Damage Claim in Florida?
When you are filing a hurricane or storm damage insurance claim in Florida, there are very important steps that you must take to ensure that you can recover the full amount of monetary damages caused by the storm. By doing the following things, you can help prove the damages that have occurred to your home or property and thus reduce your odds of being denied or only given a partial settlement by your insurance company:
- Take Pictures of the Damages: Photographic evidence is hard to deny. Before pictures definitely help back up your claims, so if you are a home or property owner then take pictures of your property often in case of an emergency, like a hurricane or storm. By documenting the damage of the aftermath of a storm, you can easily show how bad your property was affected by the storm.
- Keep Your Receipts: Insurance companies are notorious for undervaluing people’s possessions when it comes time to replace them. Keep your receipts for big ticket items, like furniture, TVs, and other possessions. If your receipts have been subject to water damage, do your best to dry them out and submit them along with your claim.
- Get a Professional Inspector to Investigate the Full Scope of Damages: Hire a professional, certified inspector/engineer who can fully assess ALL of the damage done to your home or property after a hurricane or storm. While you may only be able to see some of the damage, a certified inspector should be able to do a complete investigation and uncover damage that you may not be able to see. On that same note, some storm damage may not present itself right away and could take up to a year to be noticeable.
- Do Not Delay in Filing Your Claim: You want to act fast as insurance companies will do whatever they can to keep from paying you what you are rightfully owed. There are strict deadlines placed on how long you have to file a claim with your insurance company, so do not give them anymore leverage to try and undervalue your claim.
Florida Hurricane and Storm Property Damage Attorneys Whittel &Amp; Melton can Help
Hurricane, wind and storm damage are obviously acts of God we all as property owners cringe thinking about. So much so, that we all went out and purchased commercial or residential policies for such an event.
But What Happens When the Florida Insurance Company Won’t Pay?
If your claim has been denied for any reason, don’t panic, welcome back to Florida. Florida has created laws that somewhat insulate insurance companies from initially handling claims poorly. However, this perceived blanket of protection for bad behavior is just that, only a perception, the earlier you can obtain competent legal counsel, the closer to the proper result you will be. Fact is, unfortunately, in our current insurance climate, Insurance companies commonly create paradigms where certain types of claims will either be never paid or paid at such a minimal level it’s offensive. Many Insurance companies would prefer to handle your claim in litigation, even paying their own legal fees on a perfectly valid claim, because they are willing to gamble you won’t hire an attorney for your claim. This has basically become a war of attrition. The longer they hold out on your claim and all the others, the hope is that claims will just fall off the vine as folks become disinterested with pursuing what seems to be an immovable object. Well, you are reading this webpage because you obviously don’t want give up. Call us and let’s work together to see that the Insurance companies’ gamble to not pursue your case was a foolish bet.
Don’t Get Discouraged! Call Us Today, Florida Statewide for any Hurricane, Wind or Storm related claims at 1-866-608-5529.
Is My Florida Hurricane or Storm Damage Claim Being Handled in Good Faith?
If your insurance company is acting in bad faith regarding your hurricane, storm, or wind damage claim in Florida, then you need to know that this is a serious violation and intolerable in the state of Florida. The following actions or omissions are unacceptable:
- Not investigating the damage to a property completely
- Delaying any payouts for unnecessary reasons
- Using biased inspectors or adjusters to under value or under assess property damage
- Making an unfair and seriously low-ball settlement offer
Why You Need to Hire Florida Hurricane and Storm Damage Insurance Claim Lawyers Whittel &Amp; Melton
The knowledge and experience of our Florida Hurricane and Storm Damage Lawyers at Whittel & Melton can help with your claim tremendously. We know how difficult it can be to file a claim, have It adjusted correctly and even be handled timely, which is why we are here to help you. We know many of the tricks insurance companies often use to serve their best interests, although admittedly they come up with new deceptions every year as the legislature tinkers with the law, as opposed to dealing honestly with their policyholders. We can communicate with the insurance company on your behalf and work towards your rights being protected and endeavor to prevent any bad faith dealings. We will work with qualified, independent inspectors/engineers who can fully evaluate your property damage so that there are no questions about the damage and repairs. Over the years, we have seen how insurance companies handle these claims and will put our knowledge to work for you making sure that you are supported throughout the entire duration of the payout process. We know how to fight aggressively and we know what damages you are entitled to. Our Florida Hurricane and Storm Damage Lawyers at Whittel & Melton are sensitive to how tough of a time this is for you and your family, which is why you have our word that we will do everything in our power to make sure you receive a full and fair payout for all of your damages. Call us now at 866-608-5529 or contact us online for an immediate, free consultation.