Insurance coverage on a home helps protect people in a variety of challenging scenarios. Their policy can cover damage after criminal activity or fire. However, many sizable insurance claims follow storm damage.
Inclement weather can damage roofs, pull off siding, blow out windows and otherwise make a structure unsafe to inhabit. People typically turn to their homeowner’s insurance in such scenarios. Unfortunately, many people in need of insurance compensation face an uphill battle.
The insurance company may try to trick them into accepting a low settlement or may otherwise look for ways to diminish how much compensation the homeowner receives. Placing fault on a policyholder is a common strategy.
Can an insurance adjuster try to blame a homeowner for the damage caused by a storm?
Policy details can influence coverage
Every homeowner’s insurance policy is a unique agreement between the policyholder and the insurance provider. What the homeowner pays depends on how much coverage they require and the condition of the property.
In some cases, property owners may qualify for substantially reduced premiums because they make claims about property amenities. For example, storm shutters or hurricane shutters are a popular inclusion on many modern homes.
These strong shutters help protect the windows themselves from damage and minimize the possibility of water incursion and other secondary damage during and after a storm. If a homeowner is secured coverage at a reduced rate on the basis of having storm shutters, insurance adjusters might take issue with the failure to utilize storm shutters prior to inclement weather.
However, surprise storms that blow up without warning or storms that occur while a property owner is out of state could be reasonable explanations for why they failed to use the storm shutters. In most cases, the terms of the homeowner’s insurance policy outline what, if any, demands the company can make on the homeowner regarding storm preparation.
Repair delays can cause liability issues
In some cases, insurance companies may try to blame interior damage on the failure of a homeowner to secure the property after a storm or make appropriate repairs to the property in a timely manner. Companies may try to blame property owners for the failure to address storm damage promptly.
The failure to cover a hole in the roof or a broken window, for example, could lead to water incursion and worsening damage to the structure. In such cases, the insurance company could blame homeowners for some degree of damage over a failure to respond to the storm damage in a timely manner.
Homeowners facing complicated property insurance claims and insurance adjusters who blame them for a situation outside of their control may need help handling the situation. Having the right assistance can make it easier for homeowners to obtain the maximum amount of compensation possible after a storm causes damage to their residence.