With Estero being so close to the water and full of outdoor activities, it’s an ideal place to own a home. However, because of its coastal location, it is vulnerable to damage or destruction during natural disasters. In these situations, your homeowners insurance should cover certain damages the property sustains. Sometimes, the claims process can be difficult, though, due to confusing policy jargon and potential insurance denials.
An Estero home insurance claims lawyer from our team can help protect your rights and walk you through filing your claim or appealing a denied claim. GED Lawyers is a law firm with a history of winning. We have recovered over $26 million for clients in the nearly 30 years we’ve been open. Get in touch with us today for information on the services our Estero property damage lawyers can provide you.
What You Can Expect When You Hire Our Estero Home Insurance Claims Attorneys
GED Lawyers is proud to give our clients exceptional service. If your home was damaged due to a natural disaster or another damaging event, we are here to help you fight for fair compensation and hold your insurance company accountable for the benefits you deserve.
Our Estero home insurance lawyers will be there for you whenever you need them, even on the weekends and evenings. We want to make the claims process easier for everyone in this diverse community. That starts with helping them feel comfortable with communication. We have staff fluent in Spanish, Arabic, Portuguese, Greek, Turkish, Russian, and Creole if you prefer to speak to your legal representative in your native tongue.
Part of our support includes assuming various tasks on your behalf so you can focus on yourself. Our Estero personal injury lawyers will:
- Collect evidence of the damage your home sustained
- Review and interpret your insurance policies
- Talk to the insurance adjuster, including phone calls and emails
- Fight for fair coverage of your damages during negotiations
- Help you appeal a denied claim, if necessary
- Take your case to court, if needed
Our legal team provides mock trials, which is not something most firms do. This practice enables us to be more prepared if the time to fight before a judge comes.
Types of Home Insurance Claims You Can File in Estero, Florida
You may need to file a property insurance claim for various types of damage to your home, like:
- Water damage
- Flood damage
- Theft or vandalism
- Wind damage
- Roof damage
- Storm or hurricane damage
- Fire damage
A standard homeowners insurance policy will not cover every form of damage your home sustains—most notably flood damage. Flood insurance is a separate policy you must purchase.
Let’s say your roof is damaged during a storm, there’s a leak, and water floods the home. In that case, your home insurance may not cover the costs of repairing the resulting damage. Instead, you would turn to your flood insurance policy for compensation.
An Estero flood damage lawyer with our firm can determine which insurance policy applies to your situation if your property sustained water damage.
Important Steps to Take When Filing a Property Insurance Claim
It’s crucial to keep a record of all information about your property damage to ensure you submit the most comprehensive claim. Create a file containing photographs of the damage, repair cost estimates, a professional analysis of the damage, and the police report if your home was vandalized.
Review your insurance policy, too. You must check every box to get the coverage you need and limit your chances of receiving a denial. However, even when you follow all the instructions, the insurance adjuster may still reject your claim for any of the following reasons:
- You don’t have enough evidence.
- Your policy doesn’t cover the damages.
- You were at fault in some way (for example, if a fire damaged your home, the insurer could claim your negligence caused the fire because you left a candle burning longer than you should have).
- You didn’t maintain your property (for example, if strong winds damaged your roof, the insurer might say you didn’t keep up with the maintenance, causing the roof to deteriorate and leading to more severe damage).
- The filing deadline passed before you submitted your claim.
If your insurance provider denied your home insurance claim, that doesn’t mean you are out of options for coverage. There’s still hope. An Estero from GED Lawyers can help you file an appeal by gathering and presenting new evidence and ensuring the insurance company doesn’t act in bad faith. Call our law firm today. We operate on a contingency-fee basis, so you pay us nothing unless we win.
Types of Damages You May Recover in an Estero Home Insurance Claim
You may be eligible to recoup compensation for various losses based on your home insurance policy, such as:
- Cleanup expenses to remove mold, debris, or excess water from your home
- Structural damage if your roof, walls, windows, doors, floors, or other elements of your home are compromised
- Relocation expenses if you had to live somewhere else, like an Airbnb or hotel, while your home was undergoing repairs
- Damaged personal belongings if you need to repair or replace electronics, clothing, valuables, or furniture
You may qualify for other damages not listed here. Our Estero attorneys can determine which forms of compensation you can procure and ensure you receive fair treatment throughout the process.
How Long You Have to File Your Home Insurance Claim in Estero, FL
The amount of time you have to bring your home insurance claim may vary depending on your insurance company. However, in many cases, Florida Statutes § 627.20132 affirms that you generally have one year to file a claim for property damage.
Please inform us about your case sooner rather than later. You may be unable to hold the insurer accountable for covering your property losses if you wait too long. As long as you contact us in time, one of our attorneys can identify the applicable deadline and help you meet it.
Start Working With an Estero Home Insurance Claims Lawyer at Our Firm Today
We’ve worked with thousands of clients over the years and have seen their challenges when filing home insurance claims. If you’re in the same boat, an Estero home insurance claims lawyer from our team can help you today. We will handle all aspects of your case while you take care of yourself and your family. Call GED Lawyers today for a free initial consultation.