If your home was damaged in a storm and your insurance company is seeking to process your claim under its Managed Repair Program, it is important to understand what this means for restoration of your home. While insurance companies make their Managed Repair Programs sound like benefits they offer to policyholders, the reality is that these programs favor the insurance companies, and the benefits to policyholders are typically far outweighed by the risks involved. Read More

With forecasters expecting the 2018 Atlantic hurricane season to be “more active than usual,” homeowners in South Florida should be readying their homes and preparing to file claims with their home and flood insurance companies. Hopefully, we will make it through the season unscathed. But, if we do not, those who plan ahead will be in the best position to secure coverage and begin the rebuilding process promptly after a damaging storm. Read More

June 28 is National Insurance Awareness Day. While primarily celebrated by the insurance companies as an opportunity to market new policies and policy enhancements to their customers, National Insurance Awareness Day nonetheless serves as a practical reminder for homeowners to make sure that their insurance coverage is up to date. Read More

On June 7, 2018, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) issued a memorandum regarding claims handling procedures under the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) for the 2018 hurricane season. Read More

Water damage claims often lead to disputes between homeowners and their insurance companies. Policy language that seems clear can become ambiguous when applied within the context of an unexpected loss; and, while homeowners may expect their insurance companies to cover any damage caused by a leak or water intrusion, insurers will often seek to use the language of their policies to argue that no coverage was intended. Read More

If you have filed a property damage claim with your homeowner’s insurance company and you are struggling to receive payment, one option you have available is to invoke your right to an appraisal. This right is uniformly granted to both the insured and the insurer under standard homeowner’s insurance policies, and it provides a method for resolving coverage disputes without the need to go to court. Read More

When you file a property loss insurance claim as a homeowner or business owner, you typically have a number of post-loss responsibilities that you must meet in order to prevent your insurance company from justifiably denying your claim. If you have lost certain items entirely – whether due to being swept away or stolen – one of these obligations will be to submit an inventory of lost items to your insurance company. Read More

When your home is damaged in a tropical storm, hurricane or other natural disaster, you have an obligation to take reasonable steps to prevent ongoing damage. This obligation, which exists under the terms of your homeowner’s insurance policy, means that you may be required to make temporary repairs such as putting a tarp on your roof, boarding up broken windows and taking steps to prevent the spread of mold. If you fail to make temporary repairs, your insurance company may try to argue that you are to blame for some of the damage sustained, and it may try to limit the amount of your coverage accordingly. Read More