Dealing with a severe storm is hard enough—you’ve got the extra planning to do beforehand to make sure you stay safe, the anxiety of knowing if the roads will be drivable soon, worrying if your loved ones are safe…the list of stressors is endless. But one thing can make all of that pale in the level of tension it causes: storm damage insurance.
At Intelligent Design Corporation, we believe that the insurance process should be simple when it comes to storm damage; you’re already dealing with enough as it is. That’s why, below, you’ll find three tips that will help you secure your deserved coverage when you need it.
Keep Up With Exterior Maintenance
Part of securing coverage should your home be damaged starts before the storm even begins brewing on the horizon. That’s right: it’s preventative maintenance. But what does that have to do with storm damage—something that’s beyond your control?
The answer: quite a bit. It can make or break whether homeowner’s insurance can reimburse you. That’s because while homeowner’s insurance tends to cover certain types of storm damage, it doesn’t cover negligence, or damage resulting from failure to uphold household maintenance.
PolicyGenius puts it this way: “Take, for example, a kitchen sink pipe that leaks over a course of weeks or months and causes wood rot in your kitchen fixtures and floorboards. In the event of a claim, your insurer would likely be able to cite the neglect exclusion to deny it.”
The takeaway: keep your home in as prime condition as you can so that if it does take a hit in a storm, it’s undeniable that it’s the storm that did it—not negligence.
Take Photos of the Damage if you Can
If it’s still nasty out there, don’t go this far yet! But once it’s safe to do so, it’s helpful for the insurance claim process for you to photograph the damage, as per Real Estate Guides. This helps the claim process faster, as does providing any other pertinent documentation (the site cites hotel costs and gas). When a major storm rolls through, many homeowners will be filing claims at a similar time, so it pays—literally!—to go above and beyond when providing info.
Get a Storm Restoration Pro to Help
You’ll no doubt need a roofing company, siding contractor, or other similar pro to repair your home; make sure it’s one that, like us, actively advocates for you and participates in the insurance claim process. You’ve got enough on your plate; they should be compassionate and use their storm damage repair expertise to your benefit.
Intelligent Design Corporation: Storm Restoration Pros That Are Here for You
From helping you through the insurance process to striving for five-star work, we’ll do everything in our power to help you put this storm damage in the rearview. Reach our Maple Grove office today at 763-315-0745.
