What Documents Should I Gather and Provide to the Insurance Company?

Hurricane Ian swept through our region and left behind significant damage in our communities. It’s been a reminder of just how shocking and powerful a storm can be. These storms, of course, mean many Florida families are having to work with their insurance as they try to bounce back from the devastation.

At Alvarez Law Group, we’ve been dedicating a significant amount of time to helping Floridians deal with the insurance claims process after their homes or businesses sustained major damage from the storm. Whether you’re still going through the process for Hurricane Ian or are preparing for another claim, it’s important to prepare yourself for what the insurance company will need from you and what you can do to best protect your claim.

You Only Need ONE Estimate

There’s been this myth that you should always get three (or more) estimates for the damage total that you submit to the insurance for your claim. Some people even believe it’s required and go through the process of paying multiple different companies and contractors to get these estimates.

We want to save you time and money: just one will suffice. You are more than welcome to get as many estimates as you want, but the insurance company will only require one estimate as long as that estimate is reasonable in comparison to the damage to your property.

Sworn Proof of Loss

We’ve talked extensively about proof of loss and post-loss obligations in the past. It’s important to comply with all post-loss obligations under your insurance policy to preserve your claim and avoid having your claim denied because of procedural failure. In general, you will always need to provide sworn proof of loss to the insurance company. In rare situations, such as situations where an adjustor for the insurance company themselves comes out and does your estimate and expresses that this satisfies all needed information, you may not need to submit one. It’s still safe to do so just in case, however.

The sworn proof of loss is a document that provides evidence of the value of your property and what has been lost or damaged in the event that led to your claim. You should review your policy to see what exactly is required in your proof of loss statement, but these will generally be required within 60 days of the insurance company’s request.

Photos and Videos of Your Property and the Damage

The last important piece of your claim will be gathering any photographs and videos you have of your property and the damage. These should document both before and after – showcasing what condition the property was in before the incident occurred and what condition they’re now in. You’ll remember this was part of how we said families should prepare their homes for hurricane season. Documenting your property with photos and videos is an important part of making sure you’re protected in the event of a hurricane or other major weather event.

At Alvarez Law Group, we want to make sure Floridians have what they need to get the compensation they’re owed in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian or any other devastating incident. We don’t pay for insurance just to have it, we pay for it because there may come a day that we need it. If you need help getting this process right or feel like your claim has been improperly denied/come up short, contact our offices right away.

The following two tabs change content below.

Alvarez Law Group

At Alvarez Law Group, we are proud of our reputation for being a trusted advocate during insurance claims litigation and real estate transactions.

Latest posts by Alvarez Law Group (see all)