How To File Your Home Insurance Claims After a Natural Disaster

Once the worst of a natural disaster has passed and you and your loved ones are safe, you want to make sure you are in contact with your insurer as soon as possible, with the records of all damages and receipts for any cost incurred during the disasters (emergency repairs or hotel receipts) ready.

Rebuilding your life after a natural disaster can be incredibly tough, and we want to make it a little easier for you. Pacific Prime’s insurance specialists are ready to address any concerns you have regarding your home or property insurance.

What Is Home Insurance

Home insurance, or sometimes called ‘homeowner insurance,’ is a type of property insurance that provides coverage to your private residence in case of any unexpected losses occurring to your home or the contents inside.

Home insurance is sometimes required when you are applying for a mortgage.

Home insurance typically covers your home for unexpected losses or damages from causes such as:

• Fire
• Lightning
• Explosion
• Falling objects (e.g. trees or branches)
• Windstorm
• Hail
• Weight of ice or snow
• Vandalism
• Accidental water damage
• Riot or civil commotion

To what extent your insurance plan will cover for your house and its content will likely depend on the policy you take out. Some common coverages provided by a home insurance plan usually include:

• Your private residence
• Structures on your property (e.g. garage, shed, driveway, fence, etc.)
• Personal belongings inside your home (e.g. rug, dishes, decor, clothes, furniture, electronic appliances, etc.)

Some home insurance also provides coverage for personal liability when someone is harmed or injured on your property.

The more comprehensive your coverage is, the higher your premium tends to be. This is why it is advisable to comb through all coverages and clarify any terms and conditions before your purchase. An insurance agent or an insurance broker usually can help you with this.

Home Insurance Coverage for Natural Disasters

Though home insurance usually provides coverage for damage from fire and weather events, such as rain, wind, or hailstorm; some natural disasters are usually left out, such as earthquakes and floods.

Earthquakes and other damages from earth movement are usually excluded from your insurance coverage altogether.

Damage from flood, whether due to natural causes (e.g. flash floods, storm surge, rising rivers, etc.) or man-related causes (e.g. bursted dam or sewer backups), is also excluded by most home insurance plans.

If you live in an area with particularly high risk for certain damaging natural disasters, such as California and the increasing wildfire or the Florida Keys and regular hurricanes, your insurance may not cover damage from the natural disaster that your region has high risk of.

Some insurers may offer a dedicated natural disaster insurance plan or an additional natural disaster add-on if you would like extra coverage for damage due to natural disasters.

How to File for Home Insurance Claims After a Natural Disasters

After a natural disaster, you want to make sure you are in contact with your insurers once you are safe. Make sure you have a log of damages that occurred to your home and keep all receipts of any emergency repairs or hotel stays with you. Learn more details in the following sections.

Contact Your Insurers

Once you are safe, make sure you contact your insurers as soon as possible to initiate the claim process. You can tell them the initial damages of your home, such as collapsed roof, broken windows, or damaged walls, for example.

Your insurer will schedule a date for their own assessment. In the meantime, you must make sure your home is not further damaged by anything else. You might need to initiate an emergency repair in the meantime, such as boarding up broken windows or doors.

Take Note of the Damages

Note down and catalogue any damages that occurred to your home, including taking photos of the damages.

Even though your insurers will send their own inspector later, it is advisable to have your own list of damages. This is so you can compare your list with the formal assessment of the insurer and address any discrepancies that might arise.

Keep Any Receipts

If you have to initiate any emergency repairs, make sure you keep all your receipts with you. The same goes for your hotel receipt if your house is so severely damaged you cannot stay in your house. You might be covered for your hotel stay as an additional living expense (ALE).

How much coverage you can claim will depend on the details of your policies, such as whether your policy has a deductible or if your policy has a Replacement Cost Value (RCV) coverage or an Actual Cost Value (ACV) coverage.

Here are some common terms you might come across when making your claims:

• Actual Cost Value (ACV): If your policy provides coverage for ACV, this means your policy will pay for the depreciated cost to repair or replace your damaged property.
• Additional Living Expense (ALE): ALE is the extra expense beyond your normal housing expenses that you have to pay as a result of the damage to your property, for example, if you have to stay in a hotel and eat at a restaurant because your house is severely damaged.
• Deductible: A deductible is the amount of money you have to pay before your insurance coverage kicks in. For example, if your policy has a deductible of USD 1,000, this means you will pay USD 1,000 out of your pocket before your policy covers the rest.
• Replacement Cost Value (RCV): If your policy provides coverage for RCV, this means your policy will pay for the cost to repair or replace your damaged property, without the depreciation deduction.

We Are Happy to Answer More Questions

As an insurance broker with over 20 years of experience, Pacific Prime is more than happy to answer your questions to make sure you get the right home insurance policy for your property and your budget.

Our insurance experts can help you compare plans and quotes, all free of charge.

Contact us now for home and property insurance plans comparison.