If you live or work in Louisiana, did your home or business suffer damage from Hurricane Ida? What should be your first steps as a homeowner following a major hurricane like Hurricane Ida? You might be surprised by how much time it takes to clean up a home that suffers damage after a storm. The best way to get started is to document all of your losses and take pictures or videos of any structural damage that’s occurred. The documentation is vital to submit an accurate claim. Hurricane damage can be costly and hard to manage on your own.

Learn about home insurance and how you can file a claim with ease here!

Hurricane Damage

Worrying about hurricane season and damages from a storm like Hurricane Ida can be exhausting. It is possible that the only things you can think about are relief efforts and recovery. Home and business owners know they must deal with hurricane damage to their structures or properties.

In many cases, hurricane damage to a home or business can be overwhelming and emotionally draining. No one understands the sheer amount of cleanup and restoration they will go through. That’s why it is easy to miss something in the hurricane damage assessment process.

There are various ways for hurricane and other natural disaster claims to be filed in order to receive compensation for damages.

Homeowners Insurance Claims

The first thing that you want to do is take photos of the Hurricane damage. It may seem like your home or property didn’t suffer as much damage as those structures around you. But it’s possible that a surprise flooding event could occur, or something could get broken during the hurricane damage cleanup.

The photos you take of the hurricane damage to your home or property helps you prove the scope of hurricane damage. Once the damage is documented, the next order of business is cleanup. You’ll want to get rid of hurricane debris as quickly as possible.

This helps you reduce the risk of infestations and structural problems. Cleanup can be stressful enough without worrying about mold-related health issues due to the debris.

Home Insurance Claim Process

One in twenty insured homes has claims filed each year. One in forty will suffer from wind or hail property damage each year. One in fifty homeowners claim for water or ice damage.

After hurricane cleanup, you need to assess the full scope of the damage. Hurricane damage assessments may include a visual assessment by yourself or your insurance company representative. Sometimes, professional inspectors come in and evaluate your hurricane damage and write an assessment.

Hurricane damage assessments are the best way to determine whether your home or property damage is covered under your policy. It will also determine who will pay for hurricane repairs.

Hiring a Home Insurance Claim Attorney

If your hurricane damage is extensive and the repairs are too expensive to handle on your own, you may have to rely on your hurricane insurance. Sometimes when that happens, insurance companies will give hurricane victims the runaround. Other insurance companies may not give you the runaround but will deny legitimate claims.

That’s when you need a team of hurricane insurance attorneys that will provide you with the best representation. Insurance claim attorneys want to get you the money you deserve so you can begin restorations. That last thing you need is further stress when dealing with the aftermath of hurricanes.

Home Insurance Claim Time Limit

Once you suffer from hurricane damage, you need to know that homeowners insurance claim time limits are pretty short. You have a hurricane insurance claim time limit of one year from the hurricane damage assessment filing date. If you were never provided with a hurricane assessment, the claim time limit starts within a reasonably discoverable time after a hurricane.

How to File a Home Insurance Claim

There are different steps to filing a hurricane insurance claim, depending on what type of policy you have. However, here’s what you can expect along the way:

  1. If you have Flood Insurance, your next step after hurricane damage assessment is to contact your flood insurance carrier. The hurricane damage time limit begins when the hurricane damage happens. This continues for one year after hurricane cleanup has ceased.
  2. If you have standard homeowners insurance, filing hurricane claims should begin shortly after the damage. Most policies state that this period of time is one full year from when hurricane damages become evident or reasonably discoverable.
  3. Try to file hurricane damage with both your flood and hurricane insurance carriers.

You never want to wait too long to file, as many insurance companies will deny claim payments if they feel you didn’t repair or file your claims on a timely basis.

How Do Home Insurance Claims Work?

The first step in understanding how home insurance claims is contacting your policyholder by phone or written notice of your claim damages. Also, you want to keep a record of all conversations surrounding this initial communication with your insurer. So be sure to note the contact and write down when and where.

It’s advisable to keep those photographs and video footage of your property damage. You need to keep the photos and videos until you receive the compensation you need to repair and restore. Unfortunately, many hurricane victims have to deal with hurricane damage insurance claim disputes.

That’s why hurricane victims need to have a hurricane attorney when filing their insurance claims.

Home Insurance Claim Disputes

By hiring an experienced hurricane claim lawyer, you give yourself a voice to get the compensation you need. That means you need the best, and in Louisiana, one of the best is Babcock Louisiana Injury Lawyers. We have the know-how of dealing with Hurricane damage.

In addition, our stellar reputation helps advocate on your behalf throughout the entire claim settlement process. We make sure that your voice is heard by getting you the compensation you need to repair and restore your property. Isn’t it nice to know there is a way to prepare yourself just in case the worst happens?