California Storm Damage Claim

As a property owner, you may be accustomed to planning and preparing for storm and wind damage to your home or place of business. However, even with the best preparations possible, storm damage can still be severe and you may feel lost, not knowing what the right steps to take are. At ClaimMax Adjusters, we are the premier storm damage claim public adjusters in California, and we work directly for you, the policyholder, to ensure you can quickly and efficiently begin your insurance claim process with your insurance company. Let our team of professionally licensed public adjusters advise you on your next steps.

Once you have ClaimMax Adjusters on your side, our first order of business will be to discuss making an appointment with you to assess the damage. In order to maximize your settlement, we’ll want to go over a policy recap and coverage summary to ensure you get the most out of your benefits. We will help you get detailed photos, videos, and descriptions of your damage. When submitting your claim, it is vital that it is done properly.

As soon as you call ClaimMax Adjusters for a storm damage claim, we will quickly consult with you over the phone and suggest a recommended action plan that usually includes a scheduled on-site inspection to begin the process of comprehensive documentation essential for obtaining prompt and fair carrier payments. While it may be important to make a call early on to an emergency plumber or dry-out vendor, you should consider calling us first to obtain vendor selection guidance from us to dramatically lower your risk of poor repairs and claim denials and or claim underpayments. Don’t wait until your claim has been approved for less than you were hoping for or even denied before getting the help of a public adjuster. We can deal with underpaid or denied claims, but it is earlier to do it right from the start.

To learn more about how we can help you with your storm damage insurance claim, contact us today.

How Often Does Storm Damage Occur in California? 

California is a rather unique part of the United States. It’s particularly susceptible to heavy storms due to its somewhat tropical climate and unique positioning. Hurricanes, heavy winds, flooding, and other serious natural disasters all occur fairly frequently, and they tend to impact tens of thousands of homes each time. 

This makes not only having proper forms of insurance to protect you financially against such storms absolutely necessary, but it is also key to knowing how and when to make a claim on your policy.

How Large of a Damage Can Your Home Endure During a Storm? 

Thankfully, most storm damage is relatively minor. High winds can rip off pieces of siding or damage gutters, windows might get broken, or floods might overtake a basement fairly frequently, but it’s not always a serious matter. 

However, due to the nature of the storms California faces annually, the damage can be much more dramatic. From roofs being destroyed entirely to homes being practically leveled, the intensity of California's coastal storms is not to be underestimated. Businesses aren’t safe from these threats, either. If a business is flooded or takes on structural damage such as a roof being destroyed, or all the windows getting knocked out, that business will be closed until the problem is fixed and the business insurance claim has made renovations possible.

How to Start the Insurance Claim Process

Insurance Denial Warning 

When property damage occurs due to storms, most people want their insurance carrier to provide coverage in order to obtain reimbursement for the needed repairs as well as the usual collateral expenses that accompany the loss such as: 

• Dry out/Restoration services, 
• Contents-related expenses, 
• Temporary housing, 
• Food reimbursement, or 
• Business interruption expenses (if it is a commercial loss). 

Not all claims are covered just because they are filed and you obtain a claim number. As a rule of thumb, carriers have been reported to use the following general coverage rule: 20% of all reported losses should always be covered, 20% of all reported losses should never be covered, and 60% of all reported losses are up to the assigned adjuster to decide. 

Because the initial claim filing if done by you by phone is recorded by the carrier, there is a potentially higher risk of inadvertently triggering a delayed coverage or a denied claim if incorrect information is reported to the carrier by you.

To minimize your risk of a claim denial, first, call ClaimMax Adjusters free of charge to discuss if you should file the claim yourself or if you should hire a public insurance adjuster to file the claim for you. Also, discuss with a ClaimMax adjuster if you should have a public adjuster meet the assigned carrier’s adjuster at the initial on-site carrier inspection. Initial on-site inspections are usually performed by the carrier to help them make a claim coverage or denial decision.

How To File a Claim? 

If your home is damaged by a storm, you need to make a storm damage claim. In California, the process is fairly simple, but you do want to follow it precisely. 

First, take photos of the damage before anything is moved. It’s tempting to immediately attempt to minimize the damage or move things so you can leave your home, driveway, or access other parts of your property, but you need evidence of your claim in its original state to make the process easier. 

Next, you simply need to contact your home insurance company, or if it’s a flood, contact your flood insurance provider. Oftentimes, these two insurance policies are offered by the same company. 

The insurance provider will send an assigned adjuster to your home to evaluate the damage and confirm your claim. From there, you’ll need your policy information and general personal information to file the claim officially. 

It might take days or weeks for the insurance company to process your claim and provide the funds for repairs. If you feel the quote is unfair, you can consider hiring ClaimMax Adjusters for a second opinion and dispute the claim.