Severe weather can cause a lot of damage. Your home may sustain some damage following a major storm, and this damage can be very costly to repair.
Homeowners insurance is designed to help offset the financial burden of repairing storm damage. In order to take advantage of the financial benefits your insurance policy offers, you will need to file a claim.
Here are three tips that you can use to help ensure your claim is handled quickly so that your home can be restored.
1. Contact Your Insurance Company as Soon as Possible
Most insurance providers are alerted when a major storm moves through their service area. It's likely your insurance carrier will be expecting some claims following these storms, but you shouldn't assume that they will be prepared to handle your claim.
Reach out to your insurance agent as soon as the severe weather conditions in your area subside. Let them know that your home has been damaged, and that you will be filing a claim.
Your agent can help walk you through the filing process so that you can gather all of the information that will be needed to review your claim. It's easier to avoid delays when you work with your insurance agent from the moment you consider filing a claim until the process is complete.
2. Document the Damage
Many homeowners want to start cleaning up their property as quickly as possible after a severe storm passes through. It's critical that you take the time to document all damage your home has sustained before you start the clean-up process.
Take high-quality photographs of damaged areas from multiple angles. Write a detailed description of any damage, and include a list of items that are missing. You can even include an estimated price for these missing items in your description.
Your insurance company will use this documentation to help verify the validity of your claim.
3. Work With a Claim Specialist
It can be overwhelming to deal with the clean-up of a storm's aftermath and the filing on your insurance claim. Many homeowners choose to work with a claim specialist to help alleviate some of their stress.
A claim specialist will have intimate knowledge of the process used by insurance companies to review claims. This inside knowledge allows a storm claim specialist to manage your claim from start to finish and ensure that you receive the money needed to repair your home.