What to Do After Hurricane Damage in Florida

The storm has passed, the power may still be out, and now you are staring at a damaged roof, wet drywall and a phone number for your insurance company. Where do you even start? Take a breath. The steps you take in the first few weeks after a hurricane will decide how your claim turns out, so it pays to get them right. Here is what our public adjusters tell every Florida homeowner who calls us after a storm.

1. Stay Safe First, Then Start Taking Pictures

Nothing in your house is worth getting hurt over. Stay out of any room with a sagging ceiling, standing water near outlets or a smell of gas.

Once it is safe, grab your phone and start shooting. Take photos and video of everything before anything gets moved, cleaned up or thrown out. Walk the outside of the house from every side. Get the roof from the ground if you can see it. Then go room by room: walls, ceilings, floors and every damaged item. More is better! Your insurance company will question everything, so have the proof ready.

2. Stop the Damage From Getting Worse

Your policy almost certainly requires you to protect the property from further damage. That means tarping the roof, boarding broken windows and getting standing water out. If you skip this step, the insurance company may blame the extra damage on you.

Make temporary repairs only. Hold off on permanent repairs until the damage is documented and the adjuster has seen it. And keep every receipt, from the tarp to the box fans.

One more thing: do not let a restoration company haul off your belongings or rip out materials before everything is photographed. If you can, keep a sample of the damaged flooring, drywall or shingles. That piece of carpet might be worth thousands of dollars later.

3. Report Your Claim Right Away

Call your insurance company as soon as you can, even if you do not know the full extent of the damage yet. Write down your claim number and start a log. Every call gets a line: the date, who you talked to and what they said.

Florida law also puts a clock on you. Under Section 627.70132 of the Florida Statutes, you generally have:

• 1 year from the date of loss to report a new claim or reopen a claim
• 18 months from the date of loss to file a supplemental claim for damage or costs you find later

For a hurricane, the date of loss is the day the storm made landfall. Do not wait on this one. The longer you sit on a claim, the less leverage you have.

4. Know What Your Insurance Company Owes You

The clock runs both ways. Section 627.70131 of the Florida Statutes sets deadlines for your insurer on residential claims. In general, the insurance company must:

• Acknowledge your claim communications within 7 days
• Start its investigation within 7 days after it gets your proof-of-loss statements
• Finish any physical inspection within 30 days after it gets your proof-of-loss statements
• Pay or deny the claim, in whole or in part, within 60 days after it is notified of the claim

That 60-day clock can be paused during mediation, or while the insurer waits on information it asked you for. So answer document requests quickly, and in writing.

5. Understand Wind vs. Flood

Here’s the catch that trips up a lot of Florida homeowners. Your homeowners policy usually covers wind damage, like a torn-up roof or rain coming in through a broken window. Flooding and storm surge are a different story. They are usually excluded and only covered by a separate flood policy through the National Flood Insurance Program or a private flood insurer.

If your home took both wind and water, expect each insurer to point at the other. The way to keep your damage from falling through the cracks is good documentation of what the wind did and where the water came from. Our flood insurance claim page has more on this.

6. Check Your Hurricane Deductible

Most Florida homeowners policies carry a separate hurricane deductible. It is usually a percentage of your dwelling coverage, such as 2%, 5% or 10%, not a flat dollar amount. On a home insured for $400,000, a 2% hurricane deductible is $8,000. Pull out the declarations page of your policy now so the number does not catch you by surprise when the estimate shows up.

7. Document Like Your Settlement Depends on It (Because It Does)

• Look for the damage that is easy to miss: water stains on ceilings, swollen baseboards and cabinets, lifted or missing shingles, damaged soffits and gutters, cracked tiles and wet insulation in the attic.
• Make a list of damaged belongings with the brand, age and cost of each item. Our tips on compiling a personal property inventory work just as well for hurricane claims.
• Get written, line-item repair estimates from licensed contractors.
• Watch for mold. Moisture behind walls and under floors can turn into mold within days. Report it to your insurance company the moment you see it.
• If you had to leave your home, keep receipts for hotels, meals and other extra costs. Many policies cover additional living expenses.

8. Don’t Accept a Low Offer Without a Fight

Too many hurricane claims get paid at a fraction of what the repairs actually cost. Damage gets missed, rooms get measured short and prices come in low. If your offer does not cover the damage, stay the course:

• Ask for the insurance company’s estimate and any engineer or inspection reports in writing. You have a right to know how they got to their number.
• Go through their estimate line by line against your own photos and contractor estimates. Look for missing rooms, missing items and low quantities.
• Ask for a reinspection and send in your own documentation.
• Look into the Florida Department of Financial Services residential mediation program, a lower-cost way to settle a disputed claim.
• If your policy has an appraisal clause, you may be able to demand appraisal of the amount of loss. Learn how umpires fit into that process.
• Talk to a licensed public adjuster. The insurance company has its own adjusters working for it. A public adjuster works for you. Not sure if you need one? Read should I hire a public adjuster?

We’re Here When You Need Us

Since 1990, Insurance Claim Consultants has helped more than 11,000 people get fair settlements on their property claims. Our licensed public adjusters handle hurricane claims for homeowners, condominium associations and businesses, whether the claim is brand new or has been delayed, underpaid or denied. You pay nothing unless we recover more for you.

We have offices in Tampa and Panama City Beach, and we answer the phone 24/7 at (800) 572-7914.

This guide is general information, not legal advice. Every policy is different and Florida law changes, so check your own policy and the current statutes mentioned above.