After a flood, the yearning to rebuild takes over. The first step toward recovering from a flood is to file your insurance claim, but this can seem a daunting experience during a crisis. Careful pre-planning can make dealing with your insurance easier and help you spur along the processing and payment of your claim. Start before the threat of flood looms by organizing necessary information and storing it safely outside your home. This makes it easy to access information and provide it to your insurance company when disaster does strike. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Prepare for impending floods by gathering together important information, including:
* your insurance company's name
* the policy number
* your telephone and/or email address
* the date of purchase, value and receipts of any major appliance and/or furniture purchases.
2. Store the information outside of your home. For instance, place these items in a safety deposit box, or scan them and store them online.
3. When a flood occurs, immediately contact your insurance agent or company to file a claim. Provide your policy number and contact information where you can be reached at all times. The company will have an adjuster contact you within a few days of the claim.
4. Phone the insurance company again if you do not hear from an adjuster within three days.
5. When you return to your home, separate the damaged items from the undamaged. Keep a swatch or sample of any damaged goods, but discard the items.
6. Make a list of the damaged items, noting their date of purchase and value, and attach copies of the receipts. If you can't return home, make a list of items that may have been damaged.
7. Photograph each damaged item. If your camera was damaged in the flood, purchase a disposable digital camera.
8. Complete the Proof of Loss form the adjuster provides. You must file this within 60 days of the flood event.
9. Provide all of the information and photographs to your adjuster with the signed Proof of Loss form.
10. Your insurance company will provide your claim payment after you and the insurer agree on the damage amount reported on your Proof of Loss form.
Tags: your insurance, insurance company, Loss form, Proof Loss, Proof Loss form, your home, company will
