Property Damage Claims
Fort Lauderdale Attorneys Handling Property Damage Claims
Helping victims of storm damage throughout Southern Florida
It’s an undisputable fact that Fort Lauderdale and South Florida property owners face a constant risk of property damage from storms and hurricanes. When these situations occur, you need a Fort Lauderdale property damage attorney who understands the insurance claims process and is not afraid to challenge a denial. If your property was recently damaged, trust Yeboah Law Group, P.A. to diligently pursue the compensation you need to repair and rebuild your property.
What kinds of property damage claims do you handle?
Yeboah Law Group represents policyholders who suffered damage from:
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What does my insurance policy cover?
There are two primary types of insurance polices: all-peril, which covers everything unless there’s a specific exclusion for it, and named peril, which only covers the types of events listed in the policy. Names peril policies are usually less expensive, but they cover far less than an all-peril policy. This is critically important for Florida property owners because if your home is damaged in a storm, and that type of storm isn’t covered by your policy, you may be barred from recovering compensation.
Typically, however, all all-peril policy will cover the following types of damage:
- Damage to the roof, including lost or damaged shingles
- Broken windows
- First floor and basement flooding
- Mold and moisture damage
- Flying projectile damage
- Lost or damaged siding
- Damaged or destroyed garages, sheds, or porches
- Damaged appliances
- Falling tree damage
- Broken pipe damage claims
- Smoke damage
- Lighting damage
- Contents losses
What Fort Lauderdale property owners need to know about hurricane losses
Because Florida experiences so many hurricanes each year, property owners are required to pay a separate deductible for hurricane claims. These are determined by the value of your property, and may be as little as $500, or as much as 2%, 5%, or 10% of your total coverage. The good news is that you are only expected to pay this coverage in full once per season. Therefore, if you sustained losses in multiple hurricanes, and you already paid out your full deductible, you do not have to pay any additional money.
What Fort Lauderdale property owners should know about flood-related losses
Any property owner in a flood zone is required to buy flood insurance – and if you live in or around Fort Lauderdale, the chances are very good this rule applies to you. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is currently updating its flood zone maps, but you can use this free map tool to see if your property is in a current flood zone.
If you live in a flood zone, you can purchase insurance through FEMA’s National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). If you do not, you will need to purchase a private policy. Private policies are more expensive, but they are necessary. If your damage is caused by flooding, your claim will be denied by your insurer if you do not have flood insurance.
Why was my property insurance claim denied?
You pay your insurance premiums like clockwork, with the expectation that your family will be justly compensated when property damage occurs. Unfortunately, the claims process often involves challenges and setbacks. Your claim can be denied because:
- The source of the damage isn’t covered by your policy
- The damage existed before the storm/event
- Your policy isn’t large enough to cover all the losses
- Your claim was made after the statute of limitations passed
- Your insurer suspected fraud.
Know that insurance companies employ a team of attorneys who work hard to deny your damage claim. To that end, they offer a variety of common excuses, and may willfully and knowingly try to delay or deny your claim.
While many Fort Lauderdale property loss lawyers may fail to aggressively counter these denials, we are up for the challenge. We help families in their fight against insurance claims denials by providing valuable resources, knowledge, and skill. If litigation becomes necessary, we diligently represent your rights and interests within the Florida court system. If you have been a victim of bad faith tactics, we aggressively pursue not only the value of your claim, but also associated fees and punitive damages, if applicable.
What is Florida’s supplemental claims rule?
Property owners whose claims are denied have an option to reopen their claim by filing a breach of contract lawsuit. Instead of the one year policyholders have to make a claim, this lawsuit has a statute of limitations of 5 years. It’s a tricky bit of business, but one of our Fort Lauderdale property loss lawyers can help you.
We can also help you file a claim for additional losses from a hurricane and/or windstorm under Florida’s supplemental claims rule. Under the law:
A claim or reopened claim, but not a supplemental claim, under an insurance policy that provides property insurance, as defined in s. 624.604, including a property insurance policy issued by an eligible surplus lines insurer, for loss or damage caused by any peril is barred unless notice of the claim was given to the insurer in accordance with the terms of the policy within 2 years after the date of loss. A supplemental claim is barred unless notice of the supplemental claim was given to the insurer in accordance with the terms of the policy within 3 years after the date of loss.
You have three years to file a supplemental claim.
How can a Fort Lauderdale property loss attorney help?
Hurricanes and storms can cause extensive property damage. Severe winds, rain, and flooding harm the structure of homes and other buildings. Our experienced attorneys have helped numerous property owners pursue successful damage claims.
Our Fort Lauderdale property damage attorneys guide families through every step of the claims process, from filing the initial claim to settlement negotiations and litigation, if necessary. The aftermath of a storm or other unfortunate event causing significant property damage is challenging enough without having to worry about insurance company tactics to deny you the compensation your claim deserves. At Yeboah Law Group, we recognize bad faith actions by insurance companies and know how to effectively counter them.
Trust an experienced Fort Lauderdale property loss attorney to help
Storms and hurricanes and other causes of significant property damage are a part of living within the great state of Florida. When property damage occurs, trust a skilled lawyer with years of legal experience. Contact Yeboah Law Group to discuss the merits of your claim and begin the process of seeking compensation for property damage. You can call us at 1-800-TELL-SAM or complete our contact form to schedule a free consultation. We maintain additional offices in Miami, Key West, and Boca Raton, and serve clients throughout South Florida.
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