Author: Joe McGurn, June 29th, 2018
An article, Get Storm Claims Paid Fast in the August, 2013 issue of Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine, discussed the steps that you need to take to file and follow up on a claim. Here are some key points mentioned in the article:
- Call your insurance agent or the company right away.
- Take notes on your calls and follow up with the insurance company by e-mail to create a paper trail.
- Photograph any damage.
- Make basic repairs to prevent further damage to your property but wait until the adjuster arrives before major repairs are made.
- Keep receipts for expenditures made to prevent further damage.
- Refer to your household valuables inventory (you have one right?) to determine what you lost.
- While you are waiting for the adjuster, have a contractor identify structural damage and give you an estimate of the cost of repair work.
- Keep itemized repair records and receipts for any repair work done.
We sincerely hope that you will never have a storm loss or any other kind of loss, however, it pays to be prepared in the event that you have one. Contact us with any questions should you ever have a claim.