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Call right away.
Calling the insurance company will put the claim on record and also
may get you some emergency help, such as a crew to help pump out a
swamped basement following a hurricane or flood. You can contact your
agent by phone or e-mail, but it is always a good idea to also mail a
letter notifying the company and outlining the loss. Getting proof of
delivery will let you off the hook if, for some reason, your report goes
unrecorded and there is some question concerning timing of the claim.
Have your insurance
policies.
Ideally, you would have collected these policies in a safe place
beforehand. Now is time to get them out. This includes not just your
homeowners, wind and flood policies, but also auto and even health
insurance. You need them all because some policies may include
overlapping coverage. Read the fine print of each carefully, especially
the part in your homeowners policy titled "Duties After a Loss."
Don't take the attitude that your
insurance company will take care of everything.
Check your property
thoroughly as soon as possible.
Inspect everything: attics, backyard sheds. In particular, look
carefully at the roof. Even if it looks solid, search for any evidence
of leakage. Check the foundation for cracks or erosion, even if you
don't have floodwater inside your house. Make sure that major systems
like your furnace and air conditioner are working. Turn on all your
appliances. Make a written list of any damage you find. It also is a
good idea to corroborate any damages by taking photographs. If you have
pre-damage pictures of your property and belongings, all the better. The
before and after photographs can substantiate what property you lost or
how strong a hit your home took.
Make temporary repairs.
This will prevent further damage to your property. For instance, if
a picture window is smashed, do what you can to cover the opening. "If
an adjuster looks at your house and sees that you made a good effort to
mitigate further damage, he or she is more likely to approve the claims
you make," Walsh says. But stop short of removing evidence of the
damage. If the insurance adjuster can't see what happened, he's unlikely
to take your word that it did
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Insurance Repairs Volusia County
Sawgrass Plantation Enterprises does insurance repairs, in
Daytona Beach, Ponce Inlet, Ormond Beach, Daytona Beach Shores, New Smyrna Beach, South Daytona and Port Orange.
An insurance repair was in general not a planned repair. Usually
caused some outside force, wind, rain, fire, or man-made event. Regardless of
now it occurred homeowners and business people need the home or business
repaired without delay.
It can be time-consuming and stressful, something you weren't prepared for.
Dealing with your insurance company can be frustrating.