In May of 2021, various towns in the state of Arkansas experienced damage and power outages as a result of a strong storm that came through overnight. With winds reaching up to 71 miles per hour, the storm was reported to have caused multiple trees to fall down, causing damage to various homes, in addition to blowing the roof off of some buildings. Nearly 30,000 homes and business offices experienced power outages for upwards of a full week as a result of the high winds and storm conditions.
Storm Insurance Claims
Following a severe storm, you will want to assess your property and see what damage has been done to your home. You will want to take detailed documentation of all damage caused from the storm on your home – taking photos of areas that are damaged or destroyed, and keeping track of any living expenses affected by the storm, such as your mortgage payments or receipts for recent work done on your home, like a new roof.
This will help you to have a thorough documentation of what requires coverage from your insurance agency following a storm. Having monetary documentation of the value of the things that were damaged help you make more of a case to be paid out more as a result of your insurance claim. As you are gathering evidence for and submitting your claim with an insurance representative, be sure to keep track of all your communications and provide accurate and in-depth details related to your claim.
Bad Faith Claims
Sending your insurance agency as much detail and evidence of your property’s destruction as possible is one of the best ways to ensure you get the money you need following your insurance claim submission.
However, even when you do everything you are expected to do and more for your claim, and have been making on-time monthly payments on your insurance premium, you may still experience issues with your insurance provider. Sometimes, bad faith claims result following your application for coverage in a claim, regardless of what you’ve done on your end.
Some insurance companies will do everything in their power to try and pay you as little as possible following an insurance claim, or will refuse to give you any money at all – even if your insurance plan covers the damage you are filing for. This can cause a lot of back and forth between you and your insurance agency, or worse yet, even being ignored by your insurance company in more serious situations.
This is an incredibly frustrating and stressful experience many people unfortunately are subject to. If you are experiencing a poor situation while filing a claim, and believe you are going through a bad faith claim, it is best to contact an insurance lawyer immediately to help you. Experienced insurance attorneys understand how difficult insurance companies can be, and know what is expected of them to consider a claim to be lawful and done in good faith.
The law offices of Michael M. Raheb, P.A., have expert Arkansas insurance lawyers that understand the laws related to bad faith insurance claims, and can represent you if you are experiencing unlawful treatment with an insurance claim. Their insurance lawyers will help you gather the necessary evidence and proof of a bad claim, using it to help you get the money you need following storm damage to your property.