After You’ve Spoken to Your Insurance Company About A/C Damage, Contact Us
Continuing with our posting about the cleanup after Hurricane Ike here in Houston we dug up lots of great info about home insurance. Our previous post was about cleaning and repairing your air conditioner after the storm.
Note: The information on this page was obtained from various sources on the internet and is of a very general nature. Your individual insurance policy should be consulted to see exactly what you are and are not covered for. This information is provided to help you get on the right track and to be able to be asking good questions when dealing with your insurance company, government officials and repair agencies and companies.
Homeowners Insurance and Flood Insurance
Homeowners insurance will cover wind related damage. Flood damage is not covered by your house insurance. You’ll need to have purchased flood insurance separately.
Advice to Texas property owners affected by Hurricane Ike – The Insurance Information Institute
FloodSmart.gov is a resource site from the National Flood Insurance program. Here they offer tips on what to do to prepare and recover after a flood.
Hiring Insurance Claims Adjusters
A licensed claims adjuster can help represent your best interests. As professionals well versed on the ins and outs of insurance policies they can help ensure you get the maximum entitled to you when filing a valid claim. Typically a public adjuster would be brought in if you feel your insurance company is not handling your case fairly. But they can be brought into the process at any time.
Take note that an adjuster will typically charge a 15% fixed rate to handle your claim. The premise of using an adjuster is that they can often help you get more money than if you had handled the claim on your own making the fee worthwhile.
What’s Covered by FEMA?
FEMA offers disaster assistance to individuals, families and businesses for losses not covered by insurance. Generally this means they will cover emergency expenses for immediate needs of shelter and temporary repairs so properties are functional and safe.
The Houston Chronicle has some good Questions & Answers regarding FEMA here.
Hurricane Ike Information from FEMA
WATCH OUT FOR SCAMS!
With the amount of damage caused by Hurricane Ike, cleanup crews, contractors, insurance companies are all going to be very very busy. Individuals in need of assistance from such groups will also be stressed and looking to get things back to normal as fast as possible. This unfortunately creates an environment ripe for exploitation, both intentional and inadvertent. Stay diligent.
The Insurance Information Institute has some info on avoiding scams
Info on how to file a claim and not get pushed over by the insurance company.
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