Are you wondering if your insurance policy covers damage from Hurricane Irene? How should you go about filing a claim on your homeowners policy? The following are some helpful tips:
• Review your policy right away to find out how and where to report a claim.
• If you have a legitimate claim, don’t hesitate to file it. “You have paid your premium and are entitled to coverage,” the group says.
• Report your claim as promptly as possible, as insurance companies generally handle them on a first-come, first-served basis.
• Once your claim is reported, be sure to write down your claim number.
• When your insurance company sends an adjuster to survey your damage, ask whether he’s an employee of the insurer or is an independent adjuster. If he is an independent adjuster, find out whether he’s authorized to make claim decisions and payments on behalf of your insurance company.
• Once you file a claim, you should immediately start compiling a notebook documenting all of your contact with the insurance company. List the date, the time and a brief description of each exchange. “If an adjuster says he or she will come and does not, write it down. If an adjuster is rude, write it down,” the consumer group says.
• Hold onto receipts for emergency repairs and for temporary housing. These costs may be reimbursable under the “additional living expense” portion of your homeowner’s policy.
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