Florida Public Adjuster Offers 5 Tips on How to Prepare Before the Hurricane Claim

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I have seen what helps and what hurts policyholders in the event of a loss.

Jupiter, FL (PRWEB) June 04, 2012

Hurricane season is here again and already active. Being that no hurricane has made landfall in Florida for the last few years, many people have put their guards down. The news has been stating that this is going to be an at or below average year for hurricanes but the truth is that it only takes one. Through several years of adjusting claims for the insurance companies and now as the President and senior Public Adjuster for Claim Concepts Greg Roover have seen what helps and what hurts policyholders in the event of a loss. Here he is going to offer 5 tips of things you can do today that will help with your claim after a hurricane or any other loss.

5 Tips to be better Prepared:

1.    Contents - This can and usually is a complicated portion of the claim when processing a large loss. Most insureds do not hang on to every receipt for all of the contents and proving what was there can be a difficult task after the loss occurs. Compiling a detailed inventory list before suffering a loss can prove very helpful. Here is a copy of the list that the Public Adjusters of Claim Concepts use Public Adjusters Contents Form to simplify this process.
2.    Photos - The saying that a picture is worth a thousand words can be changed to a picture is worth thousands of dollars in the event of a loss. Right now, before any loss occurs take more photos than you think you will ever need. Take a minimum of 2 photos of each exterior elevation of the insured property showing the walls and roof. For interior photos, take an overview photo from every corner of every room, doing this should get most if not all of the contents as well as show the condition of the property, also take more detailed photos of tags, model #'s, or any other detailed information for your more valuable contents. When you have a claim the more proof you have, the smoother the process will be.
3.    Invoices & Receipts - This is very important especially in areas that have have gone through hurricanes in the past several years. If and when another hurricane rolls through an area that was already hit, it is going to create some confusion. The insurance companies are not going to pay for the same damages twice and you may need to prove to them that you have already made the repairs. All receipts for contents and personal or business property should be saved as well.
4.    Know your policy. Read and Understand your policy and what protection it offers and does not offer. Unlike all of the commercials we see everyday, all policies are NOT the same. It is imperative that you make sure you have the right policy for you and your property. If you are not clear on something now is the time to work it out with your agent, after the loss is too late. Most public insurance adjusters will also take the time to sit with you and explain the coverages available under your policy.
5. Once you have all of these photos and documents together make sure the file is stored in a place that will be accessible in the event of a loss. A safe place to store these items is somewhere in the 'cloud' with an online backup system like Carbonite or store the files in a Dropbox account. Many people store these documents in safes or back them up on external drives, this is fine but drives can break and safes get stolen.

Being prepared will help avoid potential problems, expedite the claim process and likely increase your claim payment. Don't wait until it is too late, prepare now.

About Claim Concepts:
Claim Concepts is a Public Adjusting Firm assisting Home, Business & Boat Owners through the claim process in order to obtain a fair settlement. Claim Concepts public adjusting services are available throughout the State of Florida and Georgia.

The President of Claim Concepts, Inc. is Greg Roover. Mr. Roover has utilized experience working on behalf of several different insurance companies to now exclusively assist policyholders in recovering full and proper compensation for their losses.

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