Hurricane insurance claim help for homeowners

A standard homeowners policy usually covers wind, including rain driven in through an opening the storm made. It usually doesn’t cover flood: water rising from the ground, such as storm surge. That needs a separate flood policy, most often from the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP).

In some coastal areas, wind is excluded from homeowners policies and insured separately, often by a state wind pool. Your declarations pages show what you have.

A deductible is the part of a loss you pay before insurance pays. The Insurance Information Institute reports that 19 states and Washington, D.C. have hurricane deductibles. This deductible is usually a percentage of your dwelling coverage (the limit for the house itself), typically 1% to 5%, and sometimes more near the coast.

Example: your dwelling coverage is $300,000 and your hurricane deductible is 2%. You pay the first $6,000 of covered wind damage. If the repair estimate is $9,500, the most the insurer pays is $3,500, before any depreciation is held back.

The trigger varies by state and policy. It may be the National Weather Service naming a storm or issuing a hurricane watch or warning. Our guide to how homeowners deductibles are calculated covers the other kinds.

If you have both kinds of damage and both kinds of policy, file both claims, even when one company services both. Expect two claim numbers, two adjusters and two folders. Not reported yet? See our step-by-step guide to filing a claim.

• Ask the flood adjuster for their Flood Control Number card, which FEMA says confirms they can work NFIP claims.
• Ask about an advance. In major flood events, FEMA allows advances of up to $5,000 without an adjuster visit, and up to $20,000 with documentation and FEMA’s authorization. It comes off your final payment.
• Know the gaps. NFIP policies don’t pay for temporary housing, and basement coverage is limited.
• Plan for time. FloodSmart says flood claims can take 4 to 8 weeks to be paid.

Proof of loss forms and flood deadlines are in our flood insurance claim guide.

Adjusters decide wind or flood from evidence. Capture it before cleanup.

• Mark the water line. Photograph the highest flood line on each wall, inside and out, with a tape measure in the shot.
• Shoot the roof and openings from outside. Missing shingles, lifted flashing, broken windows and doors.
• Connect ceilings to openings. Photograph each ceiling stain, then the roof damage above it.
• Write a timeline. When the wind peaked, when water came in, and from where.
• Keep samples. Save a piece of wet carpet or drywall if you can do so safely.

Most policies expect you to protect the home from more damage once it’s safe: tarp the roof, board windows, pull out wet carpet and dry rooms.

If covered wind damage makes the home unlivable, loss of use coverage, also called additional living expenses (ALE), may pay the extra cost of a hotel or rental and meals. Some policies pay limited costs when a government order keeps you out (look for “civil authority”), though the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) notes some insurers require a waiting period or actual damage first. See our guide to loss of use coverage.

After a presidential disaster declaration, FEMA’s Individuals and Households Program can help with basic needs that insurance doesn’t cover. It isn’t a substitute for insurance, and by law it can’t duplicate money from other sources, such as your policy. File your insurance claims first; FEMA may ask for your insurer’s settlement or denial letter.

FEMA then verifies the damage onsite or remotely. Its inspector records damage but doesn’t decide your aid, and the visit is separate from your adjuster’s inspection. FEMA inspectors never charge a fee or ask for bank information.

After a big storm, adjusters arrive from other states and repair crews book up for months. A few habits help:

• Keep a claim diary: each call, the date, the person’s name and what was promised.
• Confirm phone calls with a short email the same day.
• If your adjuster changes, send the new one your diary and photo folder.
• Compare your wait with how long insurers have to decide and pay in your state.
• Check a contractor’s license, and read slowly before signing an “assignment of benefits” or “direction to pay.”

When repairs uncover damage the first estimate missed, you can ask for more through a supplemental insurance claim.

State law adds rules on top of your policy. Three examples:

• Florida: notice of a new or reopened property claim is due within 1 year of the date of loss, and of a supplemental claim within 18 months. For a hurricane, the date of loss is the landfall date. The hurricane deductible applies once per calendar year, and your insurer may ask you to report, or keep receipts for, hurricane damage below it. The Department of Financial Services runs a mediation program for disputed home claims. See our Florida homeowners claim rules.
• Louisiana: policies can carry separate hurricane, named storm and wind or hail deductibles. On most homeowners policies, the named storm or hurricane deductible applies once per calendar year. For a later storm that year, the insurer can apply only what’s left of it or your regular deductible, whichever is greater. More on our Louisiana claim page.
• Texas: insurers must acknowledge a claim within 15 days and accept or reject it within 15 business days of getting everything they need, plus 15 days after a weather catastrophe. See Texas claim deadlines and contacts.

Local codes may require upgrades when you rebuild. Ordinance or law coverage, if your policy has it, helps pay the added cost. If your community declares a flood-damaged home in a high-risk flood area substantially damaged, NFIP Increased Cost of Compliance coverage can pay up to $30,000 toward elevating it or meeting other local rules.

Ask your insurer about discounts for wind mitigation, such as roof-to-wall straps or impact-rated windows. My Safe Florida Home offers eligible homeowners free wind mitigation inspections and, when funded, grants for upgrades.