Reduce your stress by hiring a Hurricane Damage insurance claims lawyer to understand your rights.

Filing for insurance claims can prove to be quite strenuous, especially if it is a property damage insurance claim. Consider a scenario where you have to leave your home and live elsewhere, because your house has been damaged by a hurricane. The entire process can be stressful and traumatic. You will also have to apply for insurance claims to cover the repairs that need to be done to the home to make the house livable. Despite all of these, you will find that the insurance company representatives will find reasons to reduce or deny your claims. According to https://louislawgroup.com/insurance-claims/hurricane-damage-lawyer/, some of the ways that your lawyer can help you with hurricane damage insurance claims are as follows:

1. Evaluate the damage that you have sustained

When your house has suffered hurricane damage, the exact nature of the damage can be manifold and not just damage to the roof and the walls. For example, your property might have sustained damage due to wind, which can be categorized as windstorm damage, and if you have experienced flooding, this will be covered by flood insurance. However, many a time, homeowners do not have separate insurance policies covering different types of natural disasters or damages that can occur due to a natural disaster. Moreover, many a time, insurance companies are often reluctant to draw up policies with homeowners with houses in areas prone to hurricane damage. Hence, it would be best to evaluate your policy by your lawyer when you file for an insurance claim.

Along with that, your insurance company has to send an adjuster.  He will ascertain the extent of the damage caused by the hurricane. This is necessary because to the untrained eye; all the damage might not be visible. Therefore, you need a lawyer to understand your rights and help you get adequate insurance claims to proceed with the repairs.

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   Getting additional opinion

The insurance company’s representatives and lawyers will always try to reduce or even deny your claims. Without the help of an experienced lawyer, you will not be able to get the compensation you deserve, and this can prove to be quite stressful. In such a scenario, you need a second opinion, such as that of an engineer or a building inspector who will evaluate the extent of damage your home has suffered. But to hire such a person can prove to be complex. Your attorney’s help will be necessary for such a situation. He will send such a person to your home to get the extent of damage that your house has suffered due to the hurricane thoroughly evaluated. Once he gets the report, he will help you with the filing of the claims. Adequate documentation is necessary to simplify the claims process. Insurance companies are known to deny the claims due to the lack of proper documents. But your lawyer can help acquire the necessary documents, understand your rights and ensure that you get adequate compensation. 

1. Help you with the negotiations.

When you file for hurricane damage insurance claims, one of the most critical aspects of the entire process is negotiations. You will have to negotiate with the insurance company’s attorneys, insurance adjusters, and other representatives. This can prove to be quite stressful because you are already worried about your property’s damages. Along with that, you do not want to be worried about a reduced claim from the insurance company. But the company representatives will always try to convince you to settle for a lesser compensation citing several reasons. Hence, you need a lawyer who will negotiate on your behalf and ensure that they don’t deny your claims.

Moreover, your lawyer will ensure that your claims are not denied, especially on technical grounds. It would be best if you were careful about making any statement to the insurance company’s representatives in the absence of your lawyer. Your lawyer will discuss all your policy details with the insurance company’s representative and ensure that you get your rightful compensation.

1. Provide all the necessary documents

While filing a hurricane damage insurance claim, you need to provide documents and evidence supporting your claim. These can be pictures and videos of the damage that your property has suffered due to the hurricane. Say, for instance, the roof of your home has suffered severe damage due to the strong winds and has rendered your home unlivable, then you can claim insurance for repairing the top of your home. But you will need pictures and videos proving that the roof was damaged due to the hurricane’s strong winds and that it is not a preexisting condition. How you can prove it and the documents and evidence you need to provide are details that your lawyer will guide you. Your lawyer will tell you the exact nature of the evidence you need to provide to simplify the claims process and ensure that the insurance company compensates for repairing the roof. Thus, without the help of your lawyer, gathering the necessary documents in support of your hurricane damage insurance claim can prove challenging.

The first thing that you must understand is that your lawyer will help simplify the entire process of filing a hurricane damage insurance claim. He will help you understand your rights, and your lawyer will also ensure that your rights are upheld. The objective of your lawyer will be to ensure that your insurance claims are processed fast, and the funds are released as quickly as possible. Hence, he will also advise you whether you should accept the settlement or consider taking the case to court. He will also reduce your stress by negotiating with the insurance company representatives to get the claims processed faster. With the help of your lawyer, you can understand how much you can claim as hurricane damage insurance.