Hurricane Ian caused property damage for families throughout Florida. Even though the hurricane did not directly land in Boca Raton, you might be facing the consequences of the storm. The rain, wind, and storm surge contributed to the damage to properties in Boca Raton. If you’ve been injured in Boca Raton, it’s essential to reach out to a qualified Boca Raton personal injury lawyer to protect your rights and secure the compensation you deserve.
If Hurricane Ian caused damage to your property, you could recover compensation through an insurance claim. The Boca Raton Hurricane Ian team at GED Lawyers can help you file a claim for financial recovery.
What a Typical Homeowner’s Insurance Policy Covers
Trying to rebuild after a hurricane can be overwhelming. Insurance coverage can make rebuilding less financially stressful, but your policy may only cover some things. Standard insurance policies will typically cover damage done by strong hurricane winds. However, your policy may not cover flood damage. Our Hurricane Ian property damage claims lawyer can read your policy to help you understand what would be covered.
Our team of Boca Raton property damage lawyers have experience in dealing with devastating storm damage and can help present your claim to your insurance company.
What does My Auto Policy Cover?
If your vehicle was outside during the storm, you could file a damage claim with your auto insurer. Per Florida Statutes § 627.7407, vehicle owners must maintain minimum property damage liability (PDL) coverage of $10,000, designed to pay for damages to another driver’s vehicle in an accident. This coverage will not pay for damage done to your car in a hurricane.
You can opt to add comprehensive coverage to your policy, which does cover some damage from hurricanes and catastrophic storms. Comprehensive coverage can protect your vehicle if it is damaged by flying debris, wind, flood, and water damage. Your insurance agent can assist in drafting your policy to explain what is and isn’t covered.
If you have questions about a claim, contacting a Hurricane Ian lawyer on our Boca Raton team might help you understand the details better.
Our Team Can Help You File a Hurricane Ian Claim
The amount of money you can recover likely depends on the insurance policy you have. Not all policies will cover all types of damage done by Hurricane Ian. Our disaster recovery lawyers can read your policy to explain what may be covered.
We can help you file your insurance claim by compiling information, including photos and videos of the damage. Our team will include images of your property before the storm if you have them available. By documenting the before and after, you can solidify your claim that the hurricane was responsible for the damage. This can also assist in placing a valuation of your damages on your claim.
Beyond filing your claim, our team can also help you by:
- Communicating with insurers on your behalf
- Educating you on the rights you have
- Investigating all the details of your claim
- Evaluating your property damage and hiring experts to determine how much your claim could be worth
- Protecting you from tricky insurance tactics and helping you avoid lowball settlement offers
When you work with our firm, we can help you build a solid claim to prove that the property damage you suffered was caused by Hurricane Ian. We can make sure you do not accept a settlement offer that is lower than you deserve.
Filing Deadlines and How They Can Impact Your Claim
It is essential to understand the filing deadlines specified in Florida Statutes § 627.70132. In some cases, you may have two to three years from the date of the storm to file a property loss claim. Filing your claim as soon as possible after the weather event could be beneficial.
When you work with our team, we can answer any questions you have about the filing deadline that applies to your case. We can help you keep your claim on track so it is filed by the appropriate deadline.
Your Insurer Could Deny Your Claim
Insurance companies sometimes deny claims. If you have received a claim denial notice, you should begin an appeal as soon as possible. The statement of denial should contain the correct process to start your appeals process. It can be helpful to consult with our Boca Raton Hurricane Ian lawyer when you receive the first notice of a denied claim.
Some of the reasons a claim might be denied include the following:
- There was not enough proof showing the hurricane caused the damage to your property
- Your policy might not cover the damage to your property
- You missed the filing deadline
A claim denial can cause delays in processing your claim and repairing your property. If your claim was unjustly denied, it could benefit you to contact a legal professional with experience dealing with insurance claims.
Protecting Your Property After a Storm
It is essential to place tarps or temporary structures around the damaged parts of your home as soon as possible after a storm eases. This will prevent additional damage from a major storm such as a hurricane.
You should also ensure that you avoid saying anything to an insurer that could give them a reason to undervalue your claim. Insurers can use your own words against you. Our team can handle all communications with insurers so that you do not risk falling for any bad faith practices.
It may also help you to take note of the interactions you have with the insurance company. Writing down the name of the representative that helped you, as well as the date of the interaction, can help us ensure you are being treated fairly.
Contact GED Lawyers for Help With Your Hurricane Claim
If you need help filing your initial claim, or want to appeal a claim that was denied, GED Lawyers can help you. Our Boca Raton Hurricane Ian lawyer has experience helping clients seek the money they need after a catastrophic storm.
We will evaluate your case for free and provide insight into your next steps. Contact our hurricane response team to ask any questions you have about the hurricane claims process.
