Should you hire a lawyer for your hurricane insurance claim? It depends on your situation, but your settlement could benefit. Here’s how.
This year is going to be another busy Atlantic Hurricane Season, according to the Colorado State University Tropical Meteorology Project. “We anticipate that the 2021 Atlantic basin hurricane season will have above-normal activity,” Dr. Phil Klotzbach, the leading scientist on the project, wrote in the 2021 report.
If you have not already begun preparing your home and yourself for the possibility that your home could be damaged, you should begin doing so as soon as possible. You should also educate yourself about what to do following a hurricane. If you want a fair settlement, here are a few reasons you might need to hire an attorney.
Benefits of Hiring a Lawyer for Hurricane Insurance Claim
When you are considering whether to hire an attorney to handle your hurricane insurance claim, you might have a few questions. How will an attorney help me with my claim? Will it be worth it? Hurricane insurance claims can be time-consuming, complicated ordeals. Having a lawyer on your side can make the process easier and more streamlined.
Here are a few things that an attorney can help with:
- Hurricane damage assessment
- Estimate costs of damage
- Investigate your claim
- Provide you advice on your legal options
- Serve as your representative in all communications with insurance
- Discover whether your insurance has employed any bad faith tactics
- Represent you in court to get the settlement you need to cover your losses
If you need to litigate your claim, having an attorney at the ready can be advantageous. Many attorneys work on contingency, which means that they don’t get paid (or they only get paid a small fee) if you don’t win your case.
How Your Insurance May Try to Avoid Paying You
Your insurance company is designed to make money, so they will avoid paying claims as much as possible.
Here are a few of the ways that your insurance company may try to avoid paying your claim in full:
- They claim that your damages are not covered or are only partially covered under your policy.
- They challenge how serious you say your losses are.
- Denying your claim without explanation, even if it is just part of your claim.
- Undervaluing your property so they can make a low offer.
- Claiming that insurance coverage does not exist for your policy.
While these are only a sample of the tactics insurance providers may use to deny your claim, they illustrate the underhanded way that you can expect to be treated.
Talk to One of Our Hurricane Insurance Attorneys Today
Ready to start building your case so that you can get a fair settlement for your hurricane damage? The attorneys at RRBH Law are standing by to help! Get in touch with us today so that we can discuss your case.