Hurricane Ike Insurance Claims: Getting Legal Assistance for Filing Homeowner Insurance Claims

Hurricane Ike insurance claims are currently taking somewhat longer to process than other homeowners claims, mainly because of the sheer volume. There are so many homeowners insurance claims, and many of these claims are hard to process because the damage is so extensive that it may take multiple inspections before the investigation is completed. Hurricane claims are also difficult because of the inaccessibility of some these homes. As understandably anxious as these property owners are to settle with their insurance company and begin rebuilding their lives, it is very difficult to process these hurricane claims much faster.

A civil lawyer can give you information about your rights as a homeowner under Texas law, which may be one way to get your claim paid as quickly as possible. According to current state law, insurance companies have 15 days from the day of notice to begin investigating a homeowner’s claim. However, the Texas State Insurance Department may extend that deadline up to 30 days, or even longer, in the case of an extreme, widespread weather event like Hurricane Ike. These companies can now take as long as they need to investigate hurricane claims, send out adjusters and examine damages before filing a report. Once the homeowners insurance claims are complete, they have 30 days to decide whether to pay a natural disaster claim.

Your attorney can argue your Hurricane Ike insurance claims if you run up against hassle from your insurance company, or if they do not want to address your homeowners claims in a timely manner. You will likely be advised to follow up any initial calls with a written notice of hurricane insurance claims—nothing too elaborate, just a notice that someone from the company needs to come look at your property. This type of documentation is vital for cases in which the company denies part of your claim, or for when you contact an attorney. Be sure to also take pictures of all damage and anything you have to throw away as a result of Hurricane Ike.

One of the most important pieces of advice your lawyer may tell you is to not rush the process of settling your claim—no matter how tempting it may be to do so. A homeowner should never sign final proof of loss until he or she is sure their insurance company has found and compensated for all of the damage. If you have any doubts about whether to sign such a document regarding Hurricane Ike insurance claims, seek the professional legal advice of the Walker & Crawford, P.C firm at 832-369-8270.