Fort Myers Hurricane Ian Insurance Claim Lawyers

The Fort Myers, Florida hurricane Ian insurance claim lawyers at Leader, Leader, & Zucker, PLLC are here to help you if your homeowner’s insurance claim was denied, underpaid, or delayed. Hurricane Ian was one of the deadliest hurricanes to hit Florida in almost 100 years. Hurricane Ian caused widespread destruction across Florida, with Fort Myers, Florida being one of the most heavily impacted communities. Sanibel Island, a barrier island near Fort Myers experienced widespread devastation. The Sanibel Causeway was destroyed, leaving Sanibel Island residents cut off from their homes. Reports indicate that virtually all the properties in the middle of the island were either completely destroyed or sustained damage. Property in Fort Myers, Florida also sustained serious damage, with officials indicating that this was the most severe damage they’ve ever seen in the area due to a hurricane. Images of the destruction show roofs completely destroyed or damaged, and other types of property damage as well, including broken windows, lost siding, and more. Residents have been flown and boated back into Sanibel Island are facing a long recovery and new reality of a changed home. The recovery process is likely to take months.

If your property was damaged during hurricane Ian, you may be in the process of making an insurance claim. The process of rebuilding can be costly, and getting your insurance money in a timely manner can make the difference between rebuilding or losing your home. One of the most challenging and stressful aspects of storm recovery can be making a homeowner’s insurance claim after a storm. Not all homeowner’s know the fine print of their policies and if you didn’t have flood insurance, you could find yourself only being offered a fraction of the cost of repairs.

Your homeowner’s insurance company has a responsibility to honor its contract. This means paying you the claim you deserve based on your policy. In the aftermath of hurricane Ian, insurance companies will likely be facing a deluge of claims. Yet, this is no excuse for a delayed or wrongfully denied claim. If your claim was denied or you believe it is being underpaid, you have the right to appeal the denial. Reach out to the Fort Myers, Florida hurricane Ian insurance claim lawyers at Leader, Leader, & Zucker, PLLC today. Our hurricane Ian insurance claim lawyers can review the fine print of your insurance policy, review the estimates of your damages, and fight to help you get the settlement you may deserve under the law.

Fort Myers, Florida Hurricane Ian Insurance Claim Denial Lawyers

A claim might be denied for many reasons, and there are also many reasons why you might end up receiving less money as a settlement than your repairs will cost. The Fort Myers, Florida hurricane Ian insurance claim denial lawyers at Leader, Leader, & Zucker, PLLC can review the reasons why your insurance claim has been denied, and fight to help you get the settlement you may deserve if your claim was wrongfully denied or underpaid. Here are some reasons why a homeowner’s insurance claim might be denied or underpaid after hurricane Ian:

• You Don’t Have Flood Insurance. Standard homeowner’s insurance doesn’t cover flood damage. People who live in flood zones have the option to purchase flood insurance through a government-backed insurance program. If you happen to live outside a flood zone, you may be out of luck when it comes to buying additional flood insurance and may not be covered for flood damage. If your home was damaged due to flooding and you don’t have flood insurance, your homeowner’s insurance policy may not cover damage due to flooding. Standard homeowner’s insurance covers water damage, but whether you’ll be able to make water damage claims will depend on the specific language of your policy. Some homeowner’s insurance policies will exclude damage for all water damage if flooding was involved, while some policies may cover water damage but not flood damage. It can be sometimes challenging to differentiate between damage due to flooding and damage due to water damage. The hurricane Ian insurance claim denial lawyers in Fort Myers, Florida at Leader, Leader, & Zucker, PLLC can review your insurance policy, help you understand what coverage you have, and what limitations might be in place, and can assist you with appealing a denied or underpaid water damage claim.
• Missed Deadlines. Your insurance company might have specific deadlines by which you need to report damage or submit proof of loss forms. It is important to meet these deadlines and to document that you met these deadlines. Yet sometimes insurance companies might lose information or may make mistakes. If you submitted your documentation on time and your insurance company is claiming that you missed deadlines, the hurricane Ian insurance claim denial lawyers in Fort Myers, Florida at Leader, Leader, & Zucker, PLLC may be able to help you.
• Lapsed Coverage. It is important that you pay your insurance claim on time. If you failed to pay your premiums, you could lose coverage. Again, sometimes insurance companies make mistakes. If your insurance company is claiming that your coverage lapsed even though you made payments, the hurricane Ian insurance claim denial lawyers in Fort Myers, Florida at Leader, Leader, & Zucker, PLLC may be able to help you.
• Failing to Prevent Further Damage. You are required to take steps to prevent further damage to your home after a storm. For example, if the storm caused damage to your windows or to your roof, you may need to put a tarp on your roof, board up windows, or make temporary repairs. You are entitled to receive money to cover these temporary repairs, so it is important that you record all costs. If you had to leave your home due to extensive damage, you may also need to take steps to secure the property, like turning off utilities or removing items that weren’t damaged. Sometimes even if you removed property or took steps to secure the property, an insurance adjuster might claim that the damage happened after the storm because you failed to secure the property. In some cases, residents simply weren’t able to return to their homes after the storm, as is the case with residents in Sanibel Island where the bridge connecting the island to the mainland was destroyed. If your insurance claim is being denied or underpaid because your insurance company claims you didn’t take steps to secure your property, you may be able to appeal the denial. In some cases people were unable to return to their homes after the storm, and in other cases, insurance adjusters wrongly claim that damage happened after the storm. The hurricane Ian insurance claim denial lawyers in Fort Myers, Florida are here to help you appeal a denied claim.
• Actual Cash Value vs. Replacement Cost. The amount of money you’ll get to repair damaged items during hurricane Ian will depend on whether you have actual cash value or replacement cost insurance. If you have actual cash value insurance (which often translated into lower premiums) you’ll only get the value of the items with depreciation taken into account. So, if you had an old roof, an old computer, or an old couch, and all were damaged in the storm, your insurance adjuster will take into account wear and tear and only give you the value of the item used. If you have replacement cost insurance, you’ll be able to replace the items at today’s values, submit receipts to your insurance company, and be reimbursed. You’ll get more money if you have replacement cost insurance, but replacement cost insurance costs more in premiums. If you aren’t sure what insurance you have or you feel that the actual cash value estimates of items damaged isn’t accurate, you may want to speak to the Fort Myers, Florida hurricane Ian insurance claim denial lawyers today. We can help.
• Bad Faith. If your insurance adjusters misrepresent the language of your insurance policy or fail to properly investigate your claim, you may be a victim of insurance bad faith. If you are a victim of insurance bad faith, you may have the right to take your insurance company to court. Leader, Leader, & Zucker, PLLC is a Fort Myers, Florida hurricane Ian insurance claim denial law firm that may be able to help you.

There are many reasons why a hurricane Ian insurance claim might be denied or underpaid. Sometimes there are legitimate reasons why an insurer might deny or underpay a claim, but this is not always the case. The Fort Myers, Florida hurricane Ian insurance claim denial law firm at Leader, Leader, & Zucker, PLLC is here to help you navigate the appeals process if you feel like your claim was wrongfully denied or underpaid.

Hurricane Ian Homeowner’s Insurance Claim Denial Lawyers in Fort Myers, Florida 

If your homeowner’s insurance claim was denied after hurricane Ian, you have rights. The Florida’s homeowner’s claim bill of rights outlines the rights you have. These rights include:

• Your insurance company must acknowledge your claim within 14 days of you making your homeowner’s insurance claim.
• Within 30 days of submitting proof of loss forms to insurance companies, your homeowner’s insurance company must let you know whether your claim is covered, partially covered, denied, or under investigation.
• Within 90 days of submitting your proof of loss form, your insurance company must either pay your claim in full, pay the undisputed portion of your claim, or send you written notice letting you know your claim has been denied.

The sooner you let your homeowner’s insurance company know your home was damaged, and the sooner you submit proof of loss forms, the sooner your claim will be paid. In the coming weeks, families may start receiving notice that their claims aren’t fully covered or that their claims have been denied. If your claim was denied or isn’t fully covered, and you want to appeal, you may want to reach out to the hurricane Ian homeowner’s insurance claim denial lawyers in Fort Myers, Florida at Leader, Leader, & Zucker, PLLC today. If your homeowner’s insurance company failed to pay your claim on time, or denied your claim wrongly, or wrongly underpaid your claim, you might be entitled to receive interest for the delayed portion of your settlement.

Hurricane Ian Property Damage Lawyers in Fort Myers, Florida 

If your property was damaged in hurricane Ian in Fort Myers, Florida, you may be facing a long road to recovery ahead. You may be wondering what next steps you can take. Here are some things to keep in mind:

• Report the damage to your insurance company as soon as possible.
• Submit proof of loss forms as soon as your can.
• Document and photograph all damage.
• Get estimates of the cost to repair your home.
• Make sure your insurance company is meeting their deadlines for settling your claim.

Homeowner’s insurance polices will typically cover hurricane damage to repair or replace your home. These policies will typically cover wind damage and damage caused by debris. If the contents of your home were damaged due to hurricane Ian, your homeowner’s insurance policy may cover these losses. Whether water damage will be covered will depend on whether you have flood damage and whether the damage to your home was due to rain or flood.

Understanding the fine print of your policy can be hard. If your damages are not being paid in full or if your claim has been denied, you may want to speak to the hurricane Ian property damage lawyers in Fort Myers, Florida at Leader, Leader, & Zucker, PLLC. Our property damage lawyers can read the fine print and help you with the next steps.

A Hurricane Ian Property Damage Insurance Claim Lawyer in Fort Myers, Florida May be Able to Help You 

You may only have a limited time to appeal a denied homeowner’s insurance claim. The hurricane Ian property damage insurance claim lawyers in Fort Myers, Florida at Leader, Leader, & Zucker, PLLC are here to help you. Contact us today. We can help you fight insurance bad faith or a wrongfully denied claim.