- rclement141
PSA Announcement for CO Home and Business Owners...1st Steps to Recovery
This message is for Colorado Home and Business owner who were just impacted by the recent hail storms. Having worked through hundreds of successful claims, we have compiled a short list of "Best Practices" after a cataclysmic event.
After a storm do this:
DOCUMENT EVERYTHING!
MITIGATE WATER ENTRY!
HAVE A CONTRACTOR INSPECT YOUR PROPERTY BEFORE YOU FILE!
DON'T THROW ANYTHING AWAY! SAVE ALL DAMAGED PROPERTY!
ABOVE ALL ELSE...BE CAREFUL!!!
Photograph and video as much as you can. Once it is safe, collect the largest hail stones and take a picture with something to reference the size like a quarter or ruler. Before you begin clean up to your yard, take a picture and/or video. Imagine you're building a court case (because you just might be) and help yourself out. Think about the ways an adjuster might try and wiggle out of coverage.
Then have a professional come and protect your property ASAP. Often times insurance companies will deny coverage for water intrusion so it is important to demonstrate that you made an attempt to avoid further damage. This may include tarping broken skylights, a leaky ridge or even an entire roof. There are so many ways in which a claim can go sideways, starting as early as the claim filing process. It is imperative to diagnose the problem, confirm coverages and know what you're about to get into. Most of the time this process is smooth, but we've lost count of how many homeowners put themselves into precarious positions by answering what should have been simple questions in a way that leverage their claim. Now that a claim has been filed, it's time to start the clean up. BE CAREFUL! Storms dislodge all sorts of things, like heavy concrete tiles, gutters, tree limbs, etc. There may also be broken glass, nails and other sharp objects lying about. Any broken items, even small ones, should be SAVED until your insurance adjuster has catalogued those items. All damaged items should be assessed, even stuff like string lights and flower pots, because often times these can add up, helping offset the cost of your deductible or upgrades.