When you purchase your homeowner’s insurance policy, on some level, you probably don’t think you will ever really need to use it. If you live on the Gulf Coast, however, or anywhere that a significant hurricane can hit, you need to make sure you have good homeowner’s insurance coverage and you might have already found that you need help to get full compensation if you have a claim. Because of the huge number of claims from hurricane’s Rita and Katrina and because insurance companies are always looking out for their own bottom line, they may deny a valid claim in bad faith insurance and leave you without compensation for damage to your home.
For example, inland homes in the hurricane swept region of the U.S. were badly damaged by wind and wind driven rain which has led to a large number of wind damage claims submitted to insurance companies. A standard homeowner’s insurance policy will cover wind damage claims and wind driven rain claims, but not any flooding. Some insurance companies are looking at hurricane damage and calling it flood damage, even though the damage was clearly not caused by a widespread flood, but rather by wind driven rain or other storm related activities.
Some insurance adjusters are using a specific disclaimer about flooding avoid having to pay claims on hurricane damaged homes. For instance, most homeowner’s policies will contain specific language that excludes “…flood, surface water, waves, tidal water, overflow of a body of water or spray from any of these.” Although these may not affect your inland home, insurance adjuster can get sneaky and try to pull the wool over your eyes. Although the denial of some claims in New Orleans proper and its surrounding suburbs may be appropriate due to the massive flooding caused by the collapsed levies, claims for wind damage in places as far inland as Baton Rouge should be given credence. If your claim has been denied, it could be an example of bad faith and should therefore be handled by an attorney.
If your wind damage claim has been denied by an insurance company and you think you are entitled to compensation, you should contact an attorney. Several attorneys and firms specialize in working with insurance companies to secure claims and compensation for clients. In many cases, just having an advocate will smooth the way for your wind damage claim and you will be treated more fairly than the average person without an advocate helping them through the process.
What good is homeowner’s insurance if you can’t use it to pay for damage caused to your home by a natural disaster like a hurricane or wind storm? Clearly, we all support the insurance companies in denying inappropriate claims which keeps premiums for everyone in check. But, people do purchase insurance to provide security and assistance in times of need. If your insurance claim has been denied in bad faith, you have the right to seek compensation beyond that of your original claim for their violation of the law and of your rights. If you feel you have been mistreated by an insurance company you should contact an attorney today.