If your home was severely damaged from Hurricane Isaac to the extent that it is uninhabitable for you or your family to live, your insurance policy may provide a coverage called “Additional Living Expense” or “A.L.E.” Under the Additional Living Expense coverage, you and your family may be entitled to rent another home of the same size, like kind and quality as well as be reimbursed for any extra expenses you may incur such as food and temporary lodging.

Many people might be surprised that having an adjuster look at your claim is only the beginning of the process. Remember, the field adjuster that inspects your property may not be an employee of the insurance company. They are typically independent adjusters on contract and typically are paid a set fee or percentage for each claim they handle. You should ask them what firm they are with when they come to inspect your property and note how thorough they are recording your damage and if they are “listening” to you.

What is the 50% rule and how does it work? Generally, this is a governmental ordinance that requires any structure damaged 50% or more of its value must be brought up to local building code requirements, including any elevation requirements. This is a question frequently asked by property owners whose building has lost its grandfathered status due to a loss event where the loss and damages are greater than the value of the real property. When this happens, any updated building codes will kick in, requiring any repair or replacement to comply with the current municipal codes in force.

Those who experienced any type of water intrusion from Hurricane Isaac may experience mold infiltration. It can grow unseen for months and create a serious health hazard. In the past, mold damage claims were covered under most property insurance when it resulted from a covered peril, such as a sudden plumbing leak, fire control, storm or other cause covered by your property insurance policy. Insurance carriers have been removing such coverage from their policy forms regardless if it results from a covered peril. In some instances, the insurance companies offer a limited coverage for mold/fungus for an additional premium.

Here are a 6 more tips to make sure your property damage claim does not make a bad situation worse.

7. Make sure your insurance company pays you first, not a roofing company or contractor. Never sign over your insurance payment to a 3rd party contractor.

Here are a few key tips to make sure your property damage claim does not make a bad situation worse.

1. Make sure your insurance company pays you first, not a roofing company or contractor. Never sign over your insurance payment to a 3rd party contractor.

2. Ask for an “advance payment” for the undisputed portion of your claim from the insurance company so you can at least start to make temporary repairs.

Tropical Storm and then Hurricane Isaac caused widespread wind, water and flood damage along the Mississippi, Louisiana - New Orleans and Alabama coast and severe flooding in South Florida. This will require that many residential and commercial policyholders submit an insurance claim for storm damages. The public adjusters at Tutwiler & Associates urge policyholders to take the proper steps to protect their claim and avoid settlement problems with our final 5 of 10 tips.

Tropical Storm and then Hurricane Isaac caused widespread wind, water and flood damage along the Mississippi, Louisiana - New Orleans and Alabama coast and severe flooding in South Florida. This will require that many residential and commercial policyholders submit an insurance claim for storm damages. The public adjusters at Tutwiler & Associates urge policyholders to take the proper steps to protect their claim and avoid settlement problems with these first 5 tips.

As Florida business and homeowners in South Florida and the northern gulf states deal with the serious flood and water damage from Hurricane Isaac, they will need the help of a restoration firm in the clean-up. Once local authorities give the all clear, your property has been inspected and it’s safe to return, mitigation efforts should be started. If insured for the loss, you will find most insurance policies have a requirement that you take reasonable and necessary measures to protect and preserve your property from further damage. This can be a difficult and challenging undertaking that requires decisions often involving a great deal of money at a time when your insurance adjuster may not have seen your loss or given the OK to start the dry-out or restoration process. If possible have the restoration company give you the scope of work and pricing in writing and then give it to the adjuster assigned to your loss from the insurance company for their approval. If possible, schedule a meeting at the site with all...

For those who do have flood insurance, we encourage you to review and pay close attention to your flood policy’s terms and conditions. The policies issued by the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) are unique because they fall under a Federal Government program with its own rules and regulations. As an example, the NFIP policy requires you to file a proof-of-loss within 60 days of the flood event. In layman terms, you must have figured out your loss and arrived at a sum certain amount to put on a document called a “proof of loss” and have it submitted to the appropriate person handling your claim. Unless this time period (60 Days) is waived by an authorized official of FEMA/NFIP the claim may be denied in total for failure to comply with the policy terms and conditions.