Calm during Disaster - Filing Your Home Insurance Claim

A Insurance Article Contributed by Brandie King

Calm during Disaster - Filing Your Home Insurance Claim

If you suffer the misfortune of a disaster striking your home then you will need to file a home insurance claim. During the confusion, and sometimes heartache, that surround a disaster in your home you will need to keep a clear head so that you can get your home insurance claim filed in a timely and proper manner. There are certain steps that you need to take and they are discussed in this article.

Home Insurance Claim - Notify Your Insurance Company

You will need to notify your insurance company immediately that you need to file a claim. They will tell you what you need to do next depending on the particular policy that you have. You should keep track of any and all correspondence and phone calls that transpire between you and your agent.

Home Insurance Claim - Damage Assessment

You need to document and assess any damage that was caused to your home. This will be very important when it comes time to actually file your home insurance claim. Use a video or digital camera if at all possible, a regular or disposable camera at the very least. You also need to keep a written log of any damage that you notice now and keep that log handy for any damage that you might notice later on.

Home Insurance Claim - Damage Control

You will want to, and are responsible for, preventing any more damage from happening to your home as a result of the disaster. This means that you should make any temporary repairs that you possibly can, or get somebody else to help you make them or to do it for you. One example is to put something over a hole in your roof. If you have to buy any supplies to make the temporary repairs then make sure to keep the receipts from any and all items that you have to buy. You will be able to get reimbursement for those items, as long as the expenses from them are reasonable.

Home Insurance Claim - List Compilation

You will want to go through your house, one room at a time, with your family and make a list of anything that was damaged or that is missing now. This is important if you want to be able to replace those items so make sure that you do not skip this step.

Home Insurance Claim - Wait and See

It will take time for your home insurance claim to be processed, completed, and taken care of, especially if there are others in your area that were more severely inflicted than you were, so you will have to be patient during the claims process. Make sure that you keep in touch with your insurance company while you are waiting so that you can keep updated on your home insurance claim.

If you should feel that you are being treated unfairly or that your claim is not being handled properly then contact the insurance commissioner in your state and file a complaint against your insurance company. If you cannot live in your house due to the disaster that struck it, you might be able to get coverage for reasonable living expenses. Contact your insurance company to find out if this applies to you.