The greatest risk to your home is a natural disaster. Extreme weather events can damage your house and property to the tune of hundreds of thousands of dollars.
The immediate aftermath of the event is a critical time for filing insurance claims. During this time, it’s easy to make mistakes. But if you know what to avoid when filing a claim with your provider, you’ll have a better chance of recouping the financial loss from the disaster.
What insurance covers in a natural disaster
When it comes to insurance for natural disasters, the damages to homes are covered by different kinds of policies. The protections your home and possessions have depends on which policies are in place when the disaster strikes.
What HO-2 and HO-3 homeowners insurance commonly covers
These types of polices generally cover damage to dwelling and personal property from:
- Fire or lightning
- Windstorm or hail
- Explosion
- Volcanic eruption
- Falling object
- Weight of ice, snow or sleet
- Accidental discharge or overflow of water or steam from items in home
- Sudden and accidental tearing apart or burning of certain home items
- Freezing of a certain home systems such as plumbing
- Sudden and accidental damage from artificially generated electrical current
There may be limitations on the type and cause of the disaster. Check with your provider for any exceptions.
What renters and condo insurance commonly covers
For a natural disaster, insurance for renters and condos/co-ops commonly cover the same perils as listed above. With renters insurance, this coverage only extends to personal property.
With condo insurance, policyholders have “walls-in” coverage, which covers permanent fixtures within the home. HO-4 and HO-6 (renters and condo) policies do not provide regular coverage for the outer structure of the dwelling.
What isn’t covered by homeowners and renters policies
- Flood damage: Homeowners and renters insurance commonly excludes flood damage. You’ll need to purchase a separate flood insurance policy, which is offered by the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP).
- Earthquake damage: Standard homeowners and renters insurance commonly excludes flood damage. Coverage may be available by purchasing additional add-on coverage from the provider. Separate earthquake insurance policies are also available from many providers.
- Lack of maintenance: If your home or apartment is damaged due to negligence, the insurance company will not cover any of the damages that occur from a lack of maintenance.
- Sewer backup: Damage caused by sewer backup is commonly excluded from homeowners insurance and renters insurance. Some providers do offer this coverage in their policies for an additional fee.
How to file a successful claim
After a natural disaster damages your property, you’ll need to act fast. Because insurance claims are time-sensitive, review your policy (or policies) beforehand so you’ll already have working knowledge of the damages covered by each policy. After the damage occurs, file claims as soon as is safely possible.
Step 1: Emergency repairs
Take pictures of the damage before touching anything unless doing so will put you in danger. If so, make emergency repairs first. Only make bare-essential repairs that are needed to keep you and your family safe. Save the receipts for all repairs.
Step 2: Take pictures
Take as many pictures as you need to provide a comprehensive account of all the damages to your home from the natural disaster. Aside from the damage, it’s also a good idea to take pictures of the undamaged areas of the house for comparison.
If you need to file a claim with your flood insurance provider, it can be helpful to use rulers and yardsticks in the pictures to provide exact measurements of the levels of flooding in your home. But as a general rule, don’t touch anything until you have fully documented the damage with photographs.
Step 3: Contact the provider
Once you have all the evidence, file the claim. Hopefully, you’ll be able to collect photographs and contact your provider soon after the damage occurs. The longer you wait, the harder it will be to file a successful claim.
When speaking with the claims adjuster, keep the conversation minimal and stick to the facts. Make sure you have a full understanding of the claims process and what information the provider will need from you. A home inspection will be part of the process.
Step 4: Verify contractors
If your claim is successful, the provider will give you the green light on making repairs. Your provider might recommend contractors, but you don’t have to hire them. The choice is yours.
Whoever you hire, make sure the business is reputable. Using other contractors besides the ones recommended by the provider may slow down the process.
Mistakes to avoid when filing a claim
Under the best circumstances, filing an insurance claim is a difficult process with many pitfalls. Natural disasters can cause drastic damage to a home, and going through the claims process afterwards is enough to give headaches to even the most experienced homeowners. With the right information, you should be able to make it through with a successful claim. Here’s what to avoid.
Waiting too long to file the claim
There’s usually a time limit on claims filing, so take care of it as soon as possible. Filing your claim as soon as possible after the disaster also ensures the damages to your home will be fresh and more easy to recognize for the home inspection.
Disregarding damaged property
After a natural disaster damages your home, document everything. Treat your home like the scene of a crime, and don’t touch anything if you can help it. If you do need to make emergency repairs for safety, hopefully you can take pictures of the area that needs repairs before making any changes.
Failing to avoid further damage
If making temporary repairs are the only way to keep your home from sustaining more damage after the natural disaster, do so as quickly as possible. Home insurance policies commonly include language that requires you to make these repairs. If you fail to do so, it could jeopardize your claim.
Losing receipts
Every dollar you spend that’s related to the damages your home sustained from the natural disaster should be carefully recorded. You’ll need to keep the receipts in order to be reimbursed after the claim goes through. If your policy includes “loss-of-use” coverage and the disaster prevents you from living or cooking at home, make sure to keep food and lodging receipts, as well.
Not having a home inventory
If the damage to your personal property is extensive, it may be difficult to remember what was there. If you have a working home inventory of all your valuables, it will be easy to compare before and after. This inventory helps to ensure you claim everything lost to the disaster. It also provides further evidence to the adjuster.
Failing to recognize fraud
Unfortunately, insurance fraud is common. When filing a claim after a natural disaster, it’s vitally important to be completely honest about the resulting damage to your home. If your home was damaged by something that’s not covered under your policy, you must say so—attributing that damage to a covered peril is insurance fraud. Fraud can also be committed by contractors, which can jeopardize your claim. That’s why it’s important to find reputable contractors. Fraudulent claims can result in criminal offenses.
Frequently asked questions:
What is the best home insurance company?
The best home insurance depends on the needs of the homeowner. Homes vary widely in price and size, and the coverage needed by the homeowner may depend on location. So it’s smart to gather quotes from a few different insurers to compare.
Where can I find flood insurance?
Flood damage is commonly excluded from home insurance, so you need a separate flood insurance policy. The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) sells flood policies, and some private providers offer them, as well.
Does my home insurance cover wildfires?
Standard home insurance policies generally cover damage from wildfires. But according to Allstate, some homeowners may face difficulty finding home insurance if their house is located in an area that’s prone to wildfires.
Does insurance cover natural disasters?
It depends on the disaster and what kind of insurance you have. Pay close attention to the covered perils listed in your insurance policy to understand how your home and personal belongings are protected if a natural disaster strikes.
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