Hurricane Milton Damage Lawyer/ Property Damage Claims Lawyer

You paid for insurance to protect your home, now it’s time for your insurance to protect you. If Hurricane Milton has left your property in disrepair, don’t let your insurance company delay or deny your claim.

Hurricane Milton has caused devastation in Florida and beyond. If your home has suffered significant damage, you’re not alone — and you shouldn’t be left to handle the fallout without help. You’ve paid your insurance premiums, and now, it’s your insurance company’s responsibility to pay for your claim.

Unfortunately, insurance companies always try to avoid paying for windstorm, fire, and other disaster claims as much as they can. This is especially true in the wake of a major tragedy like Hurricane Milton.

If your claim has been delayed or denied or you just want help filing a claim in the first place, our property damage insurance claim lawyers might be able to help.

How Hiring a Hurricane Damage Claims Lawyer Can Benefit You

Some policyholders try to speed up the process and receive an insurance payout as soon as possible. Don’t do this! If your insurer can tell you’re eager to settle, they will almost certainly offer you a low settlement because they think you’ll accept.

When you work with a hurricane damage claims lawyer, you’ll be able to take advantage of important benefits.

You’ll Get an Accurate Valuation of Your Claim

Because insurers have a primary goal of paying you as little as possible, you can’t trust your insurance company to tell you what your claim might be worth.

However, because hurricane claims lawyers deal with insurance claims nearly every day, they can quickly assess your case and give you a reliable estimate of how much you might be able to recover.

Your Lawyer Can Speed Up the Claims Process

In many cases, an attorney’s negotiation skills can speed up the process of recovering compensation without sacrificing the amount of the award you receive. This is especially important in the time right after a hurricane. Home insurance companies are inundated with claims at this time, so speeding up your claim resolution is essential.

Your Lawyer Can Help You Understand Your Policy

Unless you’re a lawyer or insurance professional, it can be very difficult to understand the language in your insurance policy. When your attorney reviews your policy, they can help you understand it — and also help ensure you receive all the benefits you’re entitled to.

They Can Investigate Your Claim

Home damage isn’t always as obvious as it seems. For example, if part of your roof is destroyed, anyone could tell you that you need a roof repair. However, not everyone would know that the rainwater that gets into your walls is likely to cause mold issues.

When you work with an attorney, you can be assured that your legal team will thoroughly document all damage to get you the compensation you deserve.

They Can Communicate With the Insurance Company for You

Negotiation is an art, and your skill as a negotiator plays a critical role in the payout you receive. When you work with an attorney, your hurricane claim lawyer can put their negotiation skills to work for you to help you get the compensation you need to repair your home.

What Are Your Options if Your Home Is Affected by Hurricane Milton?

Whether you’re facing wind damage, water damage, or both, it’s important to make sure your home is repaired quickly. If your home is currently uninhabitable, you might be staying in a hotel until your claim is resolved.

Even if your home is technically safe enough to live in, most kinds of storm damage leave your home vulnerable to other weather damage.

Fortunately, you have options when it comes to both repairing your home and taking care of basic needs.

Filing a Home Insurance Claim

If your home has been severely damaged and you have homeowners’ insurance, filing a claim is a good place to start. Some policies will cover living expenses if you must stay somewhere else while your home is being repaired. If you have this kind of coverage, use it!

Apply for FEMA Disaster Relief

If your home has been damaged and your insurance will not cover all the repairs, you might be eligible for relief through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). If your home was damaged by Hurricane Helene and then suffered more damage from Hurricane Milton, you can apply for relief from both disasters.

FEMA has programs to help you access food, water, and medicine if needed. You can apply for this kind of assistance whether your home needs serious repairs or not.

Apply for Mortgage Relief

Hurricane Milton has impacted almost everyone’s ability to work, and that means paying for your mortgage may be difficult. Most mortgage servicers are allowing borrowers the opportunity to enroll in a forbearance program that temporarily suspends payments. That may give you enough time to get back on your feet.

Steps Involved in Filing a Hurricane Milton Damage Claim

If you haven’t ever filed an insurance claim for hurricane damage, the process may seem foreign and confusing. Here’s a quick step-by-step guide to help you file a successful claim.

1. Contact Your Insurance Company

If possible, you should have photos and other documentation of the damage before you contact your insurance company. However, that may not be feasible in all cases. For instance, if you have had to evacuate but know your home suffered some damage, you may start the claims process from an emergency shelter.

The insurer will need to come out to inspect damage at some point so you can start the claims process even before you know the extent of the damage.

2. Log All Damages

Once it is safe to return to your home, you should make a comprehensive list of all damages. Make sure you back up that list with photo and video evidence.

3. Take Steps to Stop Further Damage

You should never make repairs yourself without insurance company authorization. If you do, your insurer might decline to reimburse you.

However, you should take temporary measures to protect your home. Covering and fencing off damaged areas is a good place to start. Make sure you keep all receipts from any supplies you buy for this purpose.

4. Contact an Insurance Claims Attorney

When you have quality legal representation, your insurance company is more likely to offer you a favorable amount. You may contact us during the claims process, and you also may reach out if your claim has been denied.

5. Work With the Insurance Adjuster

Usually, your insurance company will send an insurance adjuster as soon as possible to survey the damage and determine what the insurance company thinks is fair compensation. While it might be tempting to accept right away, remember that insurers tend to start with lowball offers in hopes that you will accept.

Instead of accepting right away, consider contacting an insurance claims attorney for a free case evaluation. Attorneys understand how to evaluate settlement offers, and if your insurance company is not offering what it should, an attorney may be able to help you recover maximum compensation.

Common Challenges With Hurricane Damage Claims

Filing a Florida hurricane insurance claim is rarely easy. If you are in the process of filing a claim, you may have already run into some of these common issues:

Misunderstanding your coverage
Missing deadlines to file a claim
Making repairs before claim approval
Not documenting damage well enough
Not being able to prove the damage was not pre-existing
Not noticing mold growth from water damage until after your claim is paid out
Trying to negotiate a fair settlement with your insurer

These challenges can cause additional stress in an already overwhelming situation. Fortunately, an experienced attorney can likely help.

What To Do If Your Insurance Claim Is Denied

Many people worry about an insurance adjuster undervaluing their claim. But what if your claim is denied outright? There are several possible steps you can take.

Review the Reason for Denial

Before doing anything, look carefully at your denial letter. It should outline the exact reason your claim was denied.

Ask if Additional Documentation Would Help

Some claims are easily corrected, and it’s worth seeing if yours is one of those before you panic. In some cases, just sending further documentation of damage can result in approval.

Contact an Attorney

During this process, the sooner you contact an attorney, the better. An experienced insurance claim lawyer may advise you to hire another adjuster. They can also help you file an appeal and even negotiate with the insurer on your behalf if need be.

Consider Hiring an Independent Adjuster

Sometimes, it may help to hire an insurance adjuster who is not affiliated with the insurance company. If the new adjuster’s estimate is higher than that of the insurance company’s adjuster’s estimate, your insurance company may need to revisit your claim.

File an Appeal

An appeal is a way to formally argue that you should receive more compensation. If you’re working with a lawyer, your attorney can help you assemble a convincing appeal.

Why You Need a Lawyer for Hurricane Milton Damage Claims

In an ideal world, you could count on your insurance coverage to pay out everything you’re entitled to in the event of structural damage caused by natural disasters. However, most insurance companies try to pay property owners as little as possible.

These companies believe they can fool homeowners into accepting too-low offers. Unfortunately, much of the time, they are correct. Insurers know they cannot fool hurricane claim attorneys, so when you work with a skilled lawyer, you increase your chances of maximum compensation.

Tips for Maximizing Your Hurricane Milton Claim

The insurance claims process can be confusing, drawn out, and stressful. When you understand some of the most effective strategies for maximizing your claim, you improve your likelihood of fair compensation:

Fully understand your insurance policy, including deductibles and exclusions
Thoroughly document all damage
Document any temporary repairs you must make to protect the home from further damage
Call your insurance company before the reporting deadline (ideally as soon as possible)
Do your best to remain calm and reasonable with the adjuster
Update your claim if you discover new damage
Contact a property damage claim attorney as soon as you can

If you’ve already suffered devastating losses in a hurricane or tropical storm, you might understandably be concerned about the cost of contacting a law firm. However, when you work with Kennon Law Group, you have nothing to lose by contacting us. Your case evaluation is free!

How Kennon Law Can Help You

After the devastation of a hurricane or tropical storm, an experienced hurricane damage attorney can help you get back on your feet. At Kennon Law Group, our award-winning team focuses on helping Floridians and Florida business owners recover the compensation they need to rebuild. We help you beat lowball offers and strive to get you all the compensation you deserve. Get in touch today for a free case review!

Questions To Ask A Hurricane Milton Damage Lawyer

You can but only if insurance does not cover all of your hurricane damage expenses. FEMA assistance is meant to help uninsured people save their homes, not help homeowners recoup hurricane insurance deductibles.

However, you may apply for FEMA assistance with food, water, and other essentials even if your homeowners’ insurance covers damage to your home.

Damage claims should be filed as soon as possible after the storm has passed. Before contacting your insurer, take photos and videos to clearly document the damage.

You shouldn’t make major repairs without insurance authorizations, but if you have to take emergency measures (like buying a tarp to cover a damaged roof), you should keep all receipts.

From there, contact your insurance company and follow their instructions. They likely will send out an insurance adjuster to assess the damage. It’s also a good idea to contact a hurricane claims attorney to help you with your claim.

Sometimes, filing a hurricane damage claim will increase your future insurance premiums. That means if the damage to your home costs about as much as your deductible, it may be worth paying out of pocket to stop your rates from increasing.

However, if your home suffers major damage, it’s almost always better to file an insurance claim.

Basic homeowners’ insurance only covers the structure of your home, not the contents. If you have contents insurance, you can file a claim with your insurer to be reimbursed for damaged appliances, electronics, furniture, and more. If you rent your home, renters’ insurance will cover your electronics and other personal property.

To increase your chances of having your claim paid, contact an attorney with extensive experience handling insurance claims. This is a very specific area of law, and not every attorney understands how to navigate the insurance system.

That depends on your insurance policy. Most home insurance policies (but not all) will cover wind damage, but most will not automatically cover flood damage. If you live in a flood-prone or hurricane-prone area, it’s often wise to purchase separate flood insurance.

If your home has been damaged by Hurricane Milton or Hurricane Helene, you should start the claims process immediately after the storm has passed.

Make sure you have reviewed your policy to see what it covers and have thoroughly documented the damage before reaching out to your insurance company. It’s also wise to reach out to a storm damage attorney to maximize your chances of a fair payout.