After Hurricane Irma, some Florida residents learned about what their flood insurance would and would not cover in a hard way. While flood insurance policies will repair the structure of homes, the policies will not pay to replace the damaged contents of the home unless the homeowners have opted to add content coverage to their flood insurance policies.
Some people who live in areas that are deemed low risk for flooding chose not to have flood insurance. With the hurricane, some of them suffered thousands of dollars in damages. Insurance experts advise people to get flood insurance regardless of where they live in the state. People who want to make changes to their policies should do so before hurricane season arrives. Many insurance companies will not allow people to make changes when storms are imminent.
Most homeowners’ insurance policies do not include coverage for floods. If people do not have separate flood insurance policies, they should purchase them. Part-time residents might want to purchase private flood insurance policies instead of coverage through the National Flood Insurance Program. The NFIP charges a fee to part-time residents while private companies do not. People may want to choose lower deductibles. When they choose higher deductibles to save money each month, they may be forced to pay thousands out of pocket before their coverage kicks in.
People might want to talk to experienced attorneys if they are having trouble with their hurricane damage claims. Some companies may offer insufficient money to cover the damages. Others may dispute the claims. The attorneys may review the insurance documents and secure independent assessments of the damage to the homes. They may then use the information that they have gathered to negotiate with the insurance companies. If the issue cannot be resolved, they may take the matter to court.