During those times of the year when hurricane and tornado seasons roll around, homeowners and commercial business owners are all going to start to think about possible damage and insurance claims. Wind is a leading cause of claims in the United States, causing millions of dollars worth of damage each year before taking into account national weather events like hurricanes. While severe storms are a leading cause of wind damage, there are plenty of other ways that high winds can impact your home or business. Our team at Compass Adjusting has years of experience in dealing with claims due to wind damage. Our adjusters are committed to ensuring that our customers receive fair compensation from insurance providers, allowing you to recover from severe weather in as short a time as possible. Like other types of insurance claims, there are certain things to keep in mind when it comes to dealing with wind damage.
Knowing Where To Start on a Wind Damage Claim
Before you are put in a position where you have to pursue an insurance claim, know what is in your policy. Compass Adjusting will be happy to help you go through your policy in order to understand the types of damage that will be covered by your provider before they occur. Depending on where you live, wind damage may or may not be required, and that knowledge can make a big difference in the aftermath of a severe storm.
Wind Specialized Public Claims Adjusting
Due to the nature of hurricanes and tornadoes, wind damage claims will often come in large groups after severe weather affects a particular area. In the weeks and months after a hurricane, thousands of insurance adjusters will enter an area and do their best to try and work through the huge number of claims for homes and businesses. The simple fact is that in cases like this, there is often not enough manpower to go around. The workload is simply too great to ensure effective claim adjustment for everyone. Compass Adjusting is committed to the same standard of excellence, regardless of the situation. Our adjusters are able to provide our clients with uncompromised service during these times of strife. We don’t cut corners just because there is a lot of work to go around. The last thing that you want is an overburdened adjuster speeding through your claim, which could cost you tens of thousands of dollars down the road.
Speaking The Insurance Language
Claims related to wind damage are often difficult to understand due to the language of insurance contracts. Our adjusters speak this complex language fluently, and understand the crucial differences between various types of wind damage. Take for example the term “windstorm”. Depending on the exact wording of your insurance provider, there are a number of different types of damage that may or may not be covered by windstorms. There are cases where damage caused by wind-blown wildfires can qualify under “windstorm” provisions. These legal distinctions can be complicated and arbitrary, but we have the skills and experience to navigate our clients through them.
Knowing The Hurricane, Tornado or Wind Damage Claims Difficulties
Our adjusters understand that it is in the financial interest of insurance providers to have a legal back-door for many types of damage. When it comes to severe storms, there are often concurrency clauses that can prevent policy holders from receiving their just compensation. For example, if a storm caused flood damage as well as wind damage, there will be cases where insurers will use a lack of flood insurance as a backdoor to the entire claim. Wind damage most often occurs in conjunction with other types of damage such as flooding, and our adjusters understand how to negotiate these distinctions in your contract.
Roof and Building Damage From Trees
When it comes to thinking about wind damage, trees are an important place to start. We all love the scenery and the protection that trees can provide, but they are a primary cause of damage during high-wind conditions. As is the case with many types of insurance claims, having photo documentation of all the trees on your property is a good place to start. In the event that you are impacted by severe weather and some of these trees cause damage, having evidence of their initial condition will be vital to pursuing your claim. This will also help you with any additional claims related to the removal and disposal of damaged trees. In the event that a large tree is knocked down on your property but does not cause any damage, you may still want to pursue an insurance claim on the removal of the debris. Whenever high winds cause damage to the trees on your property, it is a good idea to document the damage even if you are not pursuing repairs to structures.
Wind Damage Restoration & Long Term Repair
Not all wind damage can be easily seen and assessed in the moments after a severe weather event. High winds can also degrade the effectiveness of roofs, gutter systems and other building materials that are essential to maintaining the long-term health of a structure. Our adjusters always keep the long-term health of structures in mind. If wind damage causes significant harm to a roof, that may entitle policy-holders to more compensation from their insurance provider.