Your deductible is the part of the loss that the property owner is responsible for. Most policies have different deductibles for different losses. Understanding how much your deductible is and how it applies is the first step in understanding if you have a valid claim. Deductibles are withheld from whatever payment is being issued, so if you have a $1000 dollar deductible you need at least $1001 of damage before your insurance company will issue a check. Knowing how much your deductible is and what the value of your damages are will help you determine if it’s worth filing a claim.

There are eight types of homeowners policies that can be purchased for your home, and that is not even including policies for rental properties. If your agent is offering you a “cheaper” policy there is almost always a reason for that. It is critical to know what kind of policy you are purchasing and making sure you are aware of any exclusions that are placed in it. At Capital Claims we are always happy to offer free consultations to review any homeowner policies that you are considering buying. Policy language can be very confusing, full of legal jargon, and there’s a few key things you always want to have. If you have a claim the first thing you should do is have someone who understands your policy language to make sure you are actually covered for that loss.

Florida is a great state to live in with our legislature being advocates for homeowners. There are certain laws and statues that our insurance carriers have to follow if they want to operate in this state. Unfortunately, most homeowners don't know these laws and you can bet that your insurance company is not going to tell you them. Most people are very surprised to hear what your insurance company actually is supposed to pay for. Knowing how these laws and statutes are used is very important in maximizing your claim. Even if you think your claim might not be worth filing, make sure to get an experts opinion to really put a value on your damages.

There are a lot of rumors regarding the biggest question of them all, can my insurance company raise my premiums or drop me? The simple answer to that is typically no. Claims that are “acts of god” cannot penalize you. Basically, things that are accidental and out of your control cannot be held against you. If your premiums are raised it’s generally because they’ve raised your zip code or region because they’ve deemed it a high risk area; so whether or not you file a claim after a hurricane your premiums will probably rise. Unfortunately, there’s a lot of bad information out there that scare homeowners away from filing valid claims.

The best time to hire a public adjuster is always before the claim is filed. It’s imperative to have a full inspection, policy review, and a course of action before a claim is called in. We offer free inspections and consultations with no obligation to use us after the fact. Most claims are not black and white and due diligence should be done to truly understand the cause of loss and what it has affected. Once the claim is filed the insurance company can take up to two weeks to come out to the home. The ensuing damage over that period of time can sometimes be very extensive and you need to do whatever you can to mitigate it. Most homeowners don’t know there are “duties after the loss” in their policy. Failing to meet these requirements could end in your claim being denied. Having someone on your side to make sure you are meeting all of your requirements and are correctly protecting the home after the loss is crucial. On top of having an expert on your side you want to make sure it’s a valid claim in the first place. The last thing a homeowner wants is to add a claim to their claim history for no reason. Filing claims that are under-deductible or not covered is never a good thing.