Hurricane season around the Atlantic typically peaks each year in August and September, and this year has proven no different. Hurricane Sally and Hurricane Laura have left hundreds of thousands of people across Florida and the surrounding states with property damage and no power.

Ensuring your home is properly prepared for hurricane season is essential to reduce potential damage to your belongings and help you and your family stay safe. Here are some steps you can take to protect your home before a natural disaster hits.

Take an Inventory of your Property

Start by surveying your home and tallying your possessions before the start of hurricane season each year. If you claim damage to a specific part of your home, you want to ensure that you have the proper evidence to show the insurance company what type of physical damage was caused; that way, you can be properly reimbursed for everything you should be.

Making an insurance claim should be easy. After all, insurance exists for a reason, right? You expect insurance coverage to make up for your medical bills, lost wages, and other damages that you couldn’t have afforded to pay otherwise.

Unfortunately, many insurance companies will lowball settlements and offer claimants less than what they deserve. Remember, insurance companies are businesses above all else and will offer you the least possible amount that the company believes you will accept.

If you believe that you were offered a lower settlement than you deserve, do not take it! You have options moving forward, with the help of an experienced personal injury attorney.

After disaster strikes your home or business in the form of a fire, flood, vandalism, or theft, the worst news may come when you receive notice that the insurance company has denied your property damage claim. You believe you did everything right and you have insurance for a reason, so what went wrong?

Unfortunately, many property damage claims are denied each year because of technicalities, sneaky insurance tactics, and even bad faith insurance practices. If your claim was denied or even if you plan to file one in the future, you should arm yourself with the information needed to ensure your insurance company does not treat you unfairly.

Common Reasons for Property Claim Denials

When the insurance company denies your claim, they must give you a valid reason why. In general, there are a few common reasons for property damage claim denials: