How to File a Florida Hurricane Ian Insurance Claim?

The recent Hurricane Ian has turned out to be even more devastating than anyone anticipated. With over 100 Florida citizens losing their lives and many homes and businesses having been destroyed in this disaster, it will take several years for the affected to recover fully. 

If you were unfortunate enough to suffer damage to your home or property, you’ve got your work cut out for you as recovering damages isn’t the easiest thing to do. While doing a full damage survey is probably too much to bear at the moment, you shouldn’t lose time in doing your homework for filing a Florida Hurricane Ian insurance claim.

Let’s break down what you should do to ensure your claim is a success.

Contact Your Insurance Company

Before filing a Florida Hurricane Ian insurance claim, you should first contact your insurance company. This is important because you want to have an insurance company adjuster inspect the damage as soon as possible, preferably before doing any repairs. 

However, feel free to make any repairs that will ensure no further damage occurs. For example, this might include covering a damaged area of the roof or covering up any destroyed windows. 

How To Document The Damage

We understand this must be the last thing on your mind right now, but you should take photos to document the damage before the adjuster arrives.

We also recommend writing down any missing or damaged items to accompany your photographic records. If you’re unable to write everything down, you can use your phone to record a verbal account and description of the damage. 

You can start by going through your home and photographing every room that has visible damage. Stand in the middle of the room and capture all four sides. 

Next, photograph each damaged item and accompany it by stating or writing down the brand name and the model number. If you have receipts for expensive items, photocopy or photograph and submit them as this can help you get a fair settlement from your Florida Hurricane Ian insurance claim.

After you’re done with the interior, step outside and take photos of the roof. If there is a flood line that indicates the level of the water, you should snap a picture of that as well.

We recommend uploading all of these photos and files to Google Drive, just in case. Alternatively, you can email them to yourself or someone else.

Florida homeowner insurance policies cover the costs of living if you were forced to vacate your home. So, if you do spend time lodging in a hotel or eating out, save all the receipts and keep all the records of your spending.

With a comprehensive inventory of the damage, you can help your adjuster immensely while submitting a Florida Hurricane Ian insurance claim. Additionally, this documentation may significantly speed up the settling of the claim. 

More importantly, having your record is useful in case your claim gets denied and you end up taking legal action against the insurance company.

Florida Hurricane Ian Insurance Claim Guidelines

Even without a major disaster to contend with, filing a property damage claim can be a pain. With many citizens filing claims and trying their best to repair their properties, you might get frustrated very quickly.

Keep your cool as the following few guidelines will help you breeze through the process:

1. File the documents right away

You shouldn’t lose time in filing the documents your insurance company requests. Failure to do so may delay your claim from settling as fast as possible. The only exception to this is if you have a feeling the company is requesting additional documents to delay settling the claim. In that case, contacting a lawyer might be the best course of action.

2. Seek an independent opinion

Insurance companies typically have their go-to contractors to help them complete the estimates of the damage. Since it’s common knowledge that insurance companies don’t always look out for the best interests of their clients, we advise you to ask for a second opinion.

Nothing is stopping you from receiving an independent estimate, which might be more favorable. Contractors or adjusters aren’t perfect and they might overlook the full extent of the damage and fail to make a precise assessment of the necessary repairs.

3. Contact your insurance agent

Don’t wait for the agent to contact you first as you might end up waiting longer than needed. Reach out to your insurance agent and ask them if they have everything they require to process the claim. Additionally, if your Florida Hurricane Ian insurance claim is complete, ask for a written confirmation.

4. Bonus tip: Beware of the scams

Always check if the contractors you’re working with are licensed since the scams are running rampant in areas that were hit hard by the hurricane. These contractors ask for an upfront payment and then hit the road never to be seen again. Beware!

Florida Hurricane Ian Insurance Claim Problems

Even if you do everything perfectly, your claim might not be successful. This is common in hurricane and tropical storm claims. With damages as high as billions of dollars, insurance companies try to lower their costs by denying claims or severely underpaying them.

They might incorrectly categorize the cause of the damage as an unknown cause or claim you didn’t provide them ample evidence of the damage. They may also insist that the damage occurred before the natural disaster, through neglect, or that you didn’t submit all the documents. 

Even if you took all the necessary steps to prevent the damage, the insurance company might assert you didn’t prevent additional damage, or they might simply underestimate the costs of repairs and hope you accept the amount they offered.

If you believe your Florida Hurricane Ian insurance claim is wrongly denied or you’ve received a lowball offer, you should contact your insurance agent. Send them the documentation that supports your position and ask for a revaluation of the claim.

If that fails, you should contact a lawyer.

Getting It Right

The Sunshine State is wonderful, but it has a lot of risk for homeowners due to a high chance of hurricanes, tornadoes, and such. Name a natural disaster, Florida’s probably got it. 

To file a Florida Hurricane Ian insurance claim and avoid a denial and/or years of dragging the issue through the courts, it’s imperative you get it right on the first try. The best way to do so is to receive proper guidance from a public adjuster who can ensure your claim is as strong as it can be and gets settled swiftly. 

Get in touch with Continental Public Adjusters by calling (800) 989-4769 or filling out our contact form. We can help you get your piece of mind after this traumatic ordeal.