Hurricane Irma and Your Homeowner’s Insurance – How Not to Make a Hurricane Irma Claim!

When Hurricane Andrew came roaring through the State of Florida in 1992, Attorney Jose Francisco was on the front lines in the fight for the rights of home owners struggling to make their homeowner’s insurance companies cover the damages. He has aggressively and successfully represented clients in hurricane and general insurance claims ever since.

In the aftermath of Hurricane Irma, we have a team of insurance lawyers ready to help Florida residents succeed in the difficult insurance claims process. We take most cases on a contingency basis, which means you don’t have to pay us any fees unless we recover your policy benefits, even if a lawsuit is necessary.

For a start, we want to help you avoid some common mistakes in making your Hurricane Irma claim. These are some things you shouldn’t (and should) do:

Don’t -wait to notify your insurance company of your loss and claim. Call your agent and insurance company directly, follow up with an email and get a written acknowledgement of your claim with claim number. Then respond promptly to requests for information.

Do – take plenty of pictures and video of everything damaged in and around your house, including evidence of water intrusion. You’re going to have to prove your claim.

Don’t – exaggerate or misrepresent your damages. This can lead to the insurance company denying coverage for everything (and they are looking for reasons).

Do – “mitigate your damages” by making any necessary emergency repairs to prevent further damage to your property. You can claim those costs from your insurance company.

Don’t – give the insurance company a “sworn” or “recorded” statement without an attorney. If it gets to that point, they probably have some specific reason to deny coverage and are looking to get the confirmation from you. You don’t want to give the insurance company any reason to deny your claim.

Do – CALL US FOR A FREE CONSULTATION if you are having any difficulty getting your homeowner’s insurance company to pay your claim at its FULL VALUE. The insurance claim lawyers at the Law Office of Jose M. Francisco are ready to help.