What Should I Do to Prepare for a Property Insurance Claim?
Whether you have suffered damages from a hurricane, fire, or burst pipe, you may suddenly find yourself standing in a damaged home that requires extensive repairs. Whenever this happens, you will likely wonder what to do next. For those of you who live in Florida, it is important to always stay prepared for inclement weather, such as hurricanes and high winds, to come through your area and potentially cause expensive damages to your property. When you are prepared, you will be able to react quickly. This timeliness may help you get what you deserve from your insurance company. If your insurance company denies or disputes your claim, you'll want to contact a property insurance claims attorney in Miami, FL to defend your position. There are a few things you can do to prepare yourself and your home for a property insurance claim before it is too late.
Organize all Insurance Documentation
You will always want to organize all of your important insurance documentation in one place. This will make it easier to locate in case of any damages. Also, keep all receipts for major purchases in a binder so that you can locate them if any expensive materials are damaged in the hurricane. By having this on hand, you will be able to start the insurance process immediately after the damage is done.
Take Before and After Pictures
When you live in Florida, you should always be taking pictures of your property when a hurricane or inclement weather is headed your direction. These before pictures will be helpful to make proper evaluations of your damage. Without before and after pictures, you may end up losing money to an unfair evaluation of your property.
Strengthen Your Structure
Before a storm, heavy rainfall, or high winds, you should try your best to improve the structure of your home or building. Enforce it with extra support and board up windows to minimize the damages from high winds or heavy rains. By decreasing the chances of destruction, you may spare yourself from extensive damages. If this is done properly, you may avoid the entire insurance process after all.
Detail Each Room
Take the time to write down details of each room in your home, from finishings to brands of furniture. This information will be helpful to make a fair assessment of any damaged belongings or property. This can take some time, so be sure to get it started before the storm or even keep this outline on hand all the time to make it easier for you to reference.
These are a few of the things you need to do to stay prepared for any insurance claims you may need to make if your property is damaged. Accidents happen, and it takes more than just your insurance policy to get you what you deserve to be compensated for these damages. Contact our quality property insurance claims attorney in Miami, FL if you have any questions about your treatment during your claims process.