Finance and Insurance

Listed below are certain tips that can assist in handling insurance claims when natural disasters such as hurricanes or earthquakes occur.

1. Understanding the basics: Every home insurance policy provides insurance coverage against only certain types of damages such as damage caused due to windstorm, fire or theft. It is important to understand this clause before filing any insurance claim. It is the responsibility of the insuree to prove that the damage occurred is within the limits of the clause.

2. Assessing damage: It is important to have a personal assessment about the cause of the damage so as to ensure the presence of sufficient evidence that can prove the claim to be true. For example, typical home insurance policies in hurricane-prone areas do not provide any insurance coverage to the damage caused by flood waters. Cover is applicable only to those damages that have occurred due to windstorm, fire or wind-blown rain. The home interiors should have enough signs showing that the damage is caused due to wind and rain.

3. Documentation: It is important to document each and every receipt for which one would like to make an insurance claim. One good alternative is to download an inventory checklist available on the website of any insurance company. Rule of the thumb is that more the information provided by the insuree about damaged possessions, easier would be claim process. Hence, one should include details such as the cost, make and model number of the possession that has been damaged and included in the claim.

4. Appraiser: One should never compromise on the settlement value made by the insurance company. In case of any disagreement, one should take the complete advantage of appraisal clause and get the property valued by an independent appraiser to determine the exact value of the loss.

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