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Lightning damage insurance claims filing

Natural disasters can strike wherever you are. The only difference between places is the probability of the strike. On such occasions, that may or may not take place, it is a good idea to have an insurance coverage of your home. Your house or an apartment represents something that you have been building for your all life. Therefore, you might think about investing in protection. Once you have got coverage, you will be free to enjoy your daily activities without worrying about what could go wrong. However, should you find yourself in a situation to need to activate your insurance policy, you should know what you need to do. Therefore, the following are our bits of advice on lightning damage insurance claims and the best way to file them.

Approach this issue with the maximum seriousness

Before we go any further, we feel an obligation to point it out to you that you need to be prepared for the process. This means that in the situation when you need to file lightning damage insurance claims, you should not be thinking about the insurance company as your friend. Insurances are great, but they will be assessing the situation and looking for a way to reimburse you for less than what you agreed upon. They are going to come up with reasons why they should not going to have to cover for certain aspects of the damage that you have suffered.

Damaged building
Should you suffer damage like this one, make sure to contact your insurance claim adjuster

In order to provide yourself with the maximum protection, in this case, there is only one step that you can take. It is also the step that you should take. You should contact and hire an insurance claim adjuster. He is the person that is going to represent your interests in the best way possible. His job is to make sure that the insurance company pays you the money that they should according to the contract that you have signed. This means that, when the disaster strikes, you should not start panicking. A much better option than that one is to contact insurance claim adjuster. This is the time for tackling the issue on your hand. It most certainly is not the time to procrastinate.

Does your insurance policy cover damage from lightning strikes?

This should be the first question that you should ask yourself. Now, the good news is that the vast majority of homeowners’ insurance policies do cover damage caused by a lightning strike. Still, you will need to check this information before you file your claim. Information on what your insurance policy covers or should be written on the policy itself. In the case that you are not entirely sure about it, call the insurance company and ask them. You are going to need your policy number to do this as easy as possible.

Let’s take a look at what homeowner insurance claims usually cover when it comes to lightning damage insurance claims:

  • Personal property is usually entirely covered. By personal property we mean the following: electronics, appliances, furnishings, or other interior possessions damaged or destroyed by a lightning strike. Now, do not be surprised if you do not get the money worth of today’s new appliance. Your insurance company will take today’s value of an item and adjust its retail price taking depreciation into account. This means that you will receive about 50% to 70% value of today’s product. If it sounds unfair, it’s probably because it is.
  • Living expenses, in case that you need to move out of your house due to structure issues, are also usually covered. This coverage usually equates to approximately 20% of the dwelling’s value.
  • If you have any other structures on your property that have been damaged by the lightning strike, such as a garage, you should expect to receive about 80% of the dwelling’s value.

What should you do first when you need to file  lightning damage insurance claims

The first thing that you should do when the lightning strikes, is to make sure that you know what property damage you have sustained. This is important because your insurance claim adjuster will want to know what damage you have sustained. It would not seem serious if you are uncertain of what had happened. Therefore, once the lightning strikes, be quick about it.

Go ahead and assess the damage. Write down everything that has suffered from the lightning strike. Also, make sure that you write down the time and the date when it happened. There are ways to find out whether there was lightning activity in your area.

Sad lady
This is not how you should look after a lightning strikes your home

Your insurance company is going to information on lightning activity after you have filed your claim. You had better make sure that you have the correct information. Otherwise, your insurance company might decline to pay for the damaged property. Since their standing by is not the reason why you have decided to get insured in the first place, make sure you get it all straight.

Filing lightning damage insurance claims

Lightning strike
Lightning can strike everyone’s home. Only difference is between those that are ready for that and those that are not

There are steps that you will need to take in order to file lightning damage insurance claims. Let’s go through them:

  • File a claim and the adjuster arrives to assess the damage
  • There is a deductible on your policy. In the case that the investment needed to repair your home exceeds it, your insurance company is going to suggest settlement for repairs
  • Once your claim has been excepted, you should expect to receive the money in two increments. The first increment will be provided to you in order to start repairs on your home as soon as possible. You will receive the other part once the repairs are done. Also, bear in mind that you will probably receive as many checks as the types of damages that need repairing. Therefore, if you need to repair a structure damage and damage done to your appliances, expect two checks to arrive.
  • Sometimes your insurance company will need some time to offer you the deal and the sum of money to cover for damage. Other times, they might offer the money on the spot. You can accept or you can ask them to think it through. It’s up to you.

Filing lightning insurance claims should usually be done within 60 days from the day the lightning strikes. Therefore, make sure to do it within this window. After all, you will want issues with your home dealt with as soon as possible, right?

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