After a natural disaster or related emergency, your initial responses are key to ensuring that you receive full coverage. It’s highly crucial that you carefully document your damages and expenses. This way the insurance process can move efficiently and you can receive the much-needed money to rebuild your life and home. Here are some tips for filing and monitoring successful insurance claims after an emergency situation.
Contact Insurer Right Away
Contacting your insurer seems obvious, but after the chaos of a natural disaster or extreme situation, it can be easy to overlook this. In this situation, the sooner you open up a dialogue with your insurance provider, the faster you will receive help and the most of it. Details are essential throughout the claim process. Contacting your insurer right away will help you remember key details that are crucial to the reporting process. This also provides you with the opportunity to check your coverage so that you can begin forming a recovery plan and assess what expense you might need to pay alone. Make sure you record information like a claim number and your representative’s information so that you can track how your insurance is being handled.
Gather Evidence and Details
If your home, vehicle, or other property has been vandalized or severely damaged due to uncontrollable circumstances, you need to document it. As you go through your home, make sure to write down the exact damage and property loss. In addition to keeping a written account, you’ll also want to take photos or record videos to serve as supporting evidence. This is the best ways for you to have an irrefutable record of what happened and how you were affected.
If you lost key items such as computers, medicine, and even clothing, try to gauge the worth of these items and their impact on your daily life. For example, your computer’s model and type has a set value, but its value increased because of its function in your life. Perhaps you use your computer for your work and financial management; its loss would have added value besides the purchasing price, your well-being is at risk. Try to be as specific in your estimates as possible, you want to receive as much coverage as you can.
Track Your Costs
After an emergency, you may need to commission immediate repairs to your home to make it safely habitable. Make sure you’re also keeping track of these expenses, as your insurance might be able to cover most of, if not all of the key costs. Again, documentation is very important. Save major receipts and estimates, these will show the severity of your claim and justify your need for funds.
Another reason for you to invest in initial, crucial repairs is that you’ll prevent further damages that might occur. Remember, your coverage is capped at a specific amount so the more you go over, the more you might have to pay out of pocket. Taking preventative measures to reduce further damage will not only protect you and your property but also reduce recovery expenses to the point your insurance coverage will have maximum effect.
Know Your Insurance Coverage
Before disasters or emergencies happen, be sure to familiarize yourself with your own insurance policies. If you find yourself worried watching the coverage of natural disasters, consider if your home and life are adequately protected. In the worst situation, would your current resources help you easily and successfully recover? Maybe it’s time to invest in more policies or a higher deductible. Don’t just think about how insurance will help you when an emergency happens, consider your peace of mind as well!
If you have any questions, please reach out us at Freedom Insurance Agency. Our goal is to help you find the best protection for your individual needs. We’ll work with you to build optimal policies to protect your home and your family form any emergency.
