You’ve protected your family, ensured valuables were safe, and the storm has passed. Now what are you supposed to do? Do I place an insurance claim? HOW do I make a claim?
Once it is safe to do so, you will understandably want to check your property for any damage. It is important to identify areas of damage (safely), plan for emergency repairs and determine whether an insurance claim is necessary.
1. Assess Damage
Firstly, you’ll need to assess the damage. There are four areas of your property that commonly experience damage during storm season: the building exterior, roof, vehicles, and outdoor areas.
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2. Organise Emergency Repairs
If you find any areas of your property that are damaged badly enough to require emergency repairs (for instance, anything that might allow water ingress or affect the livability of your home), you’ll need to contact the appropriate trade to complete the works – e.g. you would get in contact with local roofing companies if you suspected damage which may lead to roof leaks. Keep in mind these may only be temporary fixes until a more permanent solution is viable. If your roof sheets have been lifted, a roofing company might attend the site and tarp the roof or cover any entry points to prevent further rain from entering the property.
3. Make an Insurance Claim
If you find that an insurance claim is required and you have never navigated through this process before, it can be daunting.
We have described the 6 steps commonly involved when placing an insurance claim in our FREE E-Book. We help you make sense of:
- What to do BEFORE contacting your insurer
- What is involved in contacting your insurer
- Lodging a claim
- Getting quotes (if required)
- Submitting quotes (if required)
- Getting the repairs done
This process can be lengthy, and in the meantime, your home will either remain damaged or have temporary repairs in place while the claims process is conducted. Understanding the process and acting quickly will help ensure your claim is underway as swiftly as possible.
If you would like to learn more about assessing your home’s storm damage or the
insurance claims process, download our
FREE Storm Season E-Book!
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This post was updated 5/01/20 to provide most current information.
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