If your house has been damaged in a hurricane, it's important to understand what you can do in order to avoid insurance delays and denials and fraud. R. Jason Richards, a Florida attorney whose firm represents victims of hurricane fraud and bad faith insurance practices, provided us with the following list of "must do's:"
Be wary of public adjusters / storm chasers
In addition to the above, Richards warns homeowners to be wary of using public adjusters and not to hire fly-by-night contractors as they tend to disappear and not be available to answer for shoddy repair work. Instead, he says to hire only reputable contractors who have an established business presence in the community. He explained:
Be wary of hiring a public adjuster to assist them with any disputes. Public adjusters charge you a percentage of your loss for their services, but there are limits to what they can legally do for you. Some public adjusters are also "storm chasers," meaning they temporarily relocate to an area damaged by a natural disaster in order to make a quick buck and then leave town before the dispute is ultimately resolved.
Steps to take before hiring an attorney
When you need to hire an attorney because your insurance company has not paid your valid claim, Richards says that policyholders can do a few things beforehand to help the process along. He continued:
What we like to see is a diligent homeowner who has done what they need to do, and what they're required to do, under the policy as far as complying with filing sworn proofs of loss and getting the documentation that the insurance company has requested before they come to us. They should make sure they've done everything they need to do, covered all of their tracks and that the insurance company has the information they need to make a decision. If they've done that and the insurance company is still refusing to pay for whatever reason, then they're set up nicely at that point for us to come in and pursue it.