These are the first steps to take after your house is damaged by a natural disaster such as a hurricane, storm, rain, or hail.
1. Inspect Your Property After the Storm and on a Continuous Basis after the Storm
It is important to thoroughly inspect your property. Check the interior and exterior of the home for damage. It is important to note that if the damage is caused by water, some of the damage may occur days or months after the incident occurs. Take photographs and videos of the damages and notes regarding every area where the damage is present. A lot of times if the damage is caused by water, there may be small water marks which may get bigger over time. As for the exterior of the home, do not forget to check the roof for loose shingles, damaged shingles, or areas where shingles are not present.
2. Document the Damage
Wherever you see any damage (even if uncertain) take photographs with good camera or phone. Take as many photographs as you can of close ups of the damage and from a distance. If your home has a leak, you can also take videos of the damage of the water dripping, etc. to show the damage. If you are taking a video, make sure you state the time and date of the video. Lastly, don’t forget to take photographs of any damage to your personal property (i.e., furniture, clothing, etc.). Day one photographs are great; but you should also take photographs as more damages occur and document when you took them.
3. Stay Organized
Take notes of the areas of damage and the dates when you observed the damage. Sometimes insurance claims can take a lot of time especially if the insurance company denies some or all of your claim, so staying organized to later refresh your memory of the events is key. Also, taking notes of all the areas where the damage is present will help you when you have to speak with the insurance company to ensure you make them aware of every area of concern and every area damaged by the storm.
4. Call Your Homeowner's Insurance Company
Sometimes it is best to contact an attorney right away so that they can help you with making a claim. The reason is that when you call in a claim, the insurance company may ask for all areas of damage and how the storm occurred. Your homeowner’s insurance company may have exclusions in your policy as to certain conditions so it is important to have an attorney review your policy with you and discuss the incident to ensure you are prepared for any recorded statement you may make. Preparation prior to the call is very important because if you forget certain damage or describe the incident incorrectly, they may deny your claim or they may only pay for certain damages you described during this one time call and not take into account other damage that may be present that you may not have described. When you call your homeowner’s insurance company, they will ask you when the event occurred, what damage is present, what areas of your home are impacted, and what caused the damage, among other questions. Be prepared for these. With that said, you should not delay calling in the claim to your insurance carrier, as it needs to be reported timely.
5. Consult and/or Hire An Attorney
Consult with an experienced attorney as soon as you can to fully understand your legal options. Most attorneys will speak with you and review your insurance policy at no charge. Also, a lot of attorneys will send someone out to your home to document the damage and inspect the property and provide an estimate. This will help you down the line if the insurance company doesn’t agree to pay all of your damages. An attorney can also help you prepare for any conversation you may be required to give to the insurance company regarding the incident. With water damage, some damage may appear days or months later, you should continue to inform your insurance carrier of any new damage that you observe immediately upon observing it.
6. Get A Free Estimate from a Qualified Contractor
You will want to call a contractor who will provide a free estimate of the damages and costs to repair. Do not agree to anything until you consult with an attorney. There are many mitigation companies and repair companies that regularly deal with these situations. Get the estimate and submit to your insurance company. You will want to try to do this as soon as you can because the insurance company will also send out an inspector who will almost always provide a low quote as they are hired by the insurance company. You will want another estimate to show the actual damage as compared to low quote the insurance company will get on their behalf. If you do not get your own estimate, you will not know if the insurance company’s inspector was fully accurate with his/her assessment.
7. Mitigate Damages and/or Prevent Further Damage
As part of most homeowner’s policies, you are required to take steps to prevent further damage. After you inspect your property for damage and document the damage, you should take steps to prevent. This could mean buying a tarp and putting it on your roof to stop water intrusion, moving your personal property (i.e., furniture, clothing, etc.) away from an area that is leaking to prevent further damage, putting a bucket under a leak to prevent further damage to floors or carpets, and/or boarding up a window that is broken or exposes your home to the elements.
8. Keep Receipts
If you have to purchase anything to mitigate or prevent further damage, keep the receipts. For instance, if you purchase a large tarp for your roof or a large piece of plywood, keep the receipt so that the insurance carrier can reimburse you for those costs if your policy allows.