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If you have suffered property damage or any other insured loss, your first reaction may be to call your insurance agent or your property insurer. Naturally, you are anxious to have your claim adjusted and to start repairing the damage or to collect insurance proceeds to compensate for your losses. Nevertheless, what you claim, how you structure your claim, how aggressive you are and your overall strategy will set the tone, content and parameters of your claim and will “cast the die” of whether your claim will be successfully paid or contested by the insurance company in time consuming and expensive litigation.
Contact our experienced Miami hurricane insurance claim attorneys for more information.
If you need to file an insurance claim after suffering property damage from any type of casualty loss, then you should consult with a lawyer to help you obtain your settlement. By consulting with a property insurance lawyer to assist with the handling of your property damage claim, you will have a professional negotiator by your side to advise you about and, if necessary and requested, represent your legal and financial interest and you will have the help of an expert who understands the complexities of the insurance industry. Additionally, if your insurer fails to meet the terms of your insurance policy agreement, your attorney can carry your fight against the insurance company into court.
When you have suffered any type of property damage or other loss, the first thing you should do is contact your local agent to report the claim, preferably in writing. The insurance company should acknowledge your claim and send an adjuster to your property to inspect the damage. Once the claim is made and the damage is assessed, your insurance company should provide you with enough money to repair your property and return it to its pre-loss condition. Often, insurance companies will deny coverage or offer little to no money as compensation for your loss, attempting to settle your claim for a nominal amount. That is legally referred to as “bad faith”. A bad faith legal claim arises when your insurance company either wrongfully makes a final denial of your claim or makes a final offer of payment that would not allow you to make the necessary repairs. A bad-faith claim against your insurance company needs to be handled by an attorney.
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1. Promptly Notice Loss to the insurer. Contact your insurance company and/or agent immediately to report the loss (as required by the insurance policy.)
2. Mitigate Damages. Make reasonable and necessary repairs to protect the property.
3. Make Emergency Repairs as needed to prevent further damage to the property.
4. If working with a remediation company, carefully read and understand any Assignment of Benefits (AOB’s) from remediation companies. Know your rights under the policy.
5. Keep Damaged Property for the adjusters (public adjuster and insurance company adjuster) to review and examine.
6. Document the loss with photographs, video, personal inventory, receipts, witnesses, etc.
7. Arrange for Inspection of Loss by the insurer.
8. Report the loss to Charlip Law Group, L.C. for review and examination of your Claim and for a qualified submission of a Proof of Loss to the insurer.
9. Know your Duty To Cooperate with insurer’s investigation under the terms of the policy.
10. Don’t Release your rights and interests away. Never settle for less! Hire a Florida Board Certified Civil Trial Specialist to represent your interests. Miami personal injury attorney David H. Charlip is one the few Board Certified Trial Specialists handling first party insurance claims in Florida.
Hurricanes bring with them strong winds and heavy rains which can bring down power lines and damage roofs. Depending on the strength of the hurricane’s winds, properties can be severely damaged in its wake.
A hurricane’s wind strength is determined using the Saffir-Simpson Wind Scale. These guidelines give hurricanes a number from 1 to 5. The following are what constitutes each category or level of winds:
Hurricanes can bring dangerously high winds and heavy rains, which can lead to water damage in your home or even the destruction of foundations. If your property has been damaged because of a hurricane, it is important to seek the help of an experienced Miami hurricane insurance claim attorney. A skilled lawyer may e able to help you receive the compensation you deserve for your damaged property. Call Charlip Law Group today at (305) 354 9313 to schedule a free consultation.
If you need to file an insurance claim after suffering property damage from a hurricane, then you should definitely hire a lawyer to help you obtain your settlement. By hiring a hurricane lawyer to handle your property damages claim, you will have a professional negotiator by your side to represent your legal and financial interests and you will have the help of an expert who understands the complexities of the insurance industry. Additionally, if your insurer fails to meet the terms of your insurance policy agreement, your lawyer can pursue your interests in a court of law
Lawyers handling first party insurance claims such as hurricane claims for the most part have their clients sign contingency fee agreements that provide that they are entitled to a certain percentage of the total claim award or the amount awarded for attorney’s fees, whichever is larger. The contingency percentage is usually 33.33% – 40%.
In the event of a catastrophic hurricane or other severe storm, it can be extremely difficult to deal with your insurance company and work with them to get a fair settlement for the damage left behind. Hiring an experienced attorney, such as Charlip Law Group, LC, can help you ensure the best possible results from your claim. Moreover, with Charlip Law Group, LC you don’t have to necessarily hire the firm to handle your entire claim for a percentage of the recovery (although the firm certainly is available to do that and in certain cases believes that such representation is preferable).
Charlip Law Group, LC affords prospective clients “hurricane claim review” services on a flat fee basis that provide such clients with the crucial and timely legal input at the formulation stage of the claim submittal. Every homeowner making a hurricane claim would be foolish not to spend the comparably small fee involved to have an attorney review and consult on their proposed claim before it was submitted.
For homeowners in both Florida and New Jersey, Charlip Law Group, LC is proud to serve as your hurricane insurance claim lawyer. With so many insurance companies offering undervalued settlements, incomplete repairs to victims’ homes and other property, or outright denying insurance claims, the attorneys at Charlip Law Group, LC are eager to represent your interests. If your property has been damaged by a hurricane or other violent storm, contact the trusted insurance claim lawyers at Charlip Law Group, LC today to set up an initial consultation. We can answer any questions you may have and can serve as your advisors in ensuring that your insurance company handles your claim fairly, properly, and promptly.
When it comes to businesses that have been affected by natural disasters, and particularly hurricanes, it is difficult to anticipate how and to what extent these events over time continue to impact upon businesses, industries, and commerce in a given area. In many cases, the damage to area merchants may be felt for two or three years following a storm. Most business owners do not quite understand the significance or effect of being hit with a storm. Hurricanes causing significant damage may result in businesses having to close their doors for repairs for extended periods of time, resulting in a loss of revenue that is unrecoverable. Furthermore, companies may be unable to avoid reporting costs relative to hurricane damage when reporting their financial status, and insurance costs may skyrocket as a result of the high number of claims being filed and processed in the aftermath of a destructive storm.
The damage caused by hurricanes and tropical storms can be far reaching, and not something that can be rectified in a short or immediate period of time. Business owners who have either been affected by hurricanes or tropical storms, or those who are thinking about opening or expanding their businesses into hurricane-prone areas should consider all the ramifications involved and develop an action plan that will allow for speedy recovery with minimal interruption to the business.
Part of this action plan includes thoroughly assessing and understanding your commercial insurance policy and determining the type of coverage. Numerous issues tend to come up with insurance claims in the aftermath of a storm. For example, property damage claims may be denied, there may be excessive reporting requirements for hurricane damage incidents, insurance companies may fail to promptly pay claims or fail to properly and promptly investigate and assess hurricane damage claims, insurance companies may also low-ball claims assessments and settlement offers, and they may make accusations that a building does not meet specified code requirements. Due to the types of insurance issues that may result from storm damage, the best measures to take are preventative ones. In developing an action plan for your business and assessing your commercial insurance coverage, be sure to contact a Miami hurricane insurance claim attorney that can help you prepare your business accordingly.
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The attorneys at our firm bring many years of training and experience to the practice of law. Our multi-lingual staff will deal with your issues promptly. We are conveniently located in Miami-Dade County. Our South Florida location allows us to serve our clients in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach Counties; throughout Florida and the United States.
Our primary goal – high quality, innovative legal work based on the cutting edge of the law that places the client’s needs first and wins cases. Throughout our legal career, Charlip Law Group LC has always advanced and secured client’s interests with high integrity by adapting and even helping create laws to our client’s unique circumstances and positions.
Contact Charlip Law Group, LC at our Miami, Florida offices toll-free at (888) 815-1418 or (305) 354-9313.
Charlip Law Group, LC is located in Robinson – Orlando, Florida and serves clients in and around North Beach, Miami Beach, Miami, Hialeah, Opa Locka, Dania, Key Biscayne, South Beach, Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood, Broward County, Miami-Dade County, and Palm Beach County.
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