Is Storm Damage Covered by Insurance?

If your home or business has been damaged by a major storm, it can be devastating. The cost of repairs can seem daunting, and you don’t know how you could afford it. Fortunately, you have insurance, and that should cover it, right?

Typically, storm damage is covered by insurance, although the exact coverage depends on the terms of your policy or policies. There are also situations where you might get an unpleasant surprise about your insurance coverage.

Storm Damage Typically Covered by Insurance

The good news is that most types of storm damage we see in Northwest Ohio and Southeast Michigan is typically covered by insurance. Types of storm damage that insurance typically covers includes:

• Wind damage, including tornadoes and straight-line winds
• Hail damage
• Lightning strikes and fire
• Fallen branches and trees
• Water damage secondary to broken windows and roof

Storm damage in these situations has several things in common: they are all sudden, unpredictable, and can be catastrophic. These are the situations that insurance is designed for: helping people when something serious happens that causes damage despite your reasonable and prudent preparations.

Situations Where Insurance Might Not Cover Storm Damage

However, there are some situations where your insurance might not pay for your storm damage. These are the common situations where your insurance might deny or diminish your storm damage claim:

• Flood
• Old and worn fixtures
• Inadequate maintenance
• Improper repairs
• Inadequate preparation
• Lack of documentation

We’ll talk about these issues below so you understand what you can do to improve your odds that insurance will cover your storm damage.

Flood Damage

Flood damage is typically not covered by insurance. If you look at your policy, it’s in the list of exclusions. If you want your insurance to cover flood damage, you will generally need to purchase separate flood insurance.

Old and Worn Fixtures

Another situation where insurance may deny or diminish your claim is if the insurer determines that the claimed items are old and worn. If, for example, your roof is near or past its expected lifespan, a claim for roof damage from wind or hail might be reduced, sometimes to zero. This is a good reason to be aware of the expected lifespan of different home components and replace them on a regular basis to protect your investment in your home.

Inadequate Maintenance

Insurance companies require that you take good care of your property or else you might find that your claims are denied or reduced. If, for example, you had a small leak in your roof that caused significant damage over the years, you might get less for claims related to water damage from a storm. Conduct regular inspections of your property and address any maintenance issues you find.

Improper Repairs

Your insurance company might also deny your claim if it determines that the damage is due to improper repairs at your home. If, for example, there was previous damage from a tree branch that you repaired on your own rather than working with a certified contractor, then the area that you repaired collapsed during a heavy snow, your insurance company might deny the claim, saying that your repairs caused the problem, not the snow. To avoid this problem, always make sure that you hire a qualified and certified contractor to perform home repairs so that you can maintain coverage.

Inadequate Preparation

When you got your insurance policy, your insurer may have noted things that you have to take care of to protect your home, such as trimming overhanging branches or removing a dead or dying tree. If your insurer makes these recommendations and you ignore them, your insurer may deny claims on that basis. Always make sure that you follow these recommendations from your insurer or else you might find your claim denied.

Lack of Documentation

Insurance companies like to see documentation of your property, the storm damage, and the repairs. If you want to get your claim accepted and paid, you should make sure you have properly documented your property in its pre-storm state, then document the storm damage, and, finally, the storm repairs.

A Storm Damage Restoration Company Can Help Get Claims Paid

If you want to get full compensation for covered damages, it’s important to work with a qualified contractor who can help you document damages and make repairs that will be eligible for future compensation.

A storm damage restoration company knows how to properly document damages from the storm, express the damage in ways that the insurance company understands, and then document all the repairs so the insurance company knows what they are paying for. This helps you get full and timely compensation according to the terms of your policy.

It also protects your investment against future storms. If you take an insurance company payment, but then either don’t document repairs or have repairs performed by someone that your insurance company doesn’t recognize as a professional, they might use this as the basis for denying a future claim.

Choose Cousino Restoration & Environmental

If you are looking for storm damage restoration in Northwest Ohio or Southeast Michigan, choose Cousino Restoration & Environmental. We are the leading restoration company in the area, with over 45 years of experience. We offer 24/7 emergency response services – no matter when the storm hits, we can be there to help you get your property repaired and your life back to normal. We can handle every aspect of the restoration process, from initial board-up to the finishing touches, including content restoration. We work with insurance companies all the time, and we understand the documentation they need to pay your claim. Our team will coordinate the claims process to eliminate the hassle of making a claim.

If your home has suffered significant storm damage, contact Cousino Restoration & Environmental now to start the restoration process. We serve customers in Northwest Ohio and Southeast Michigan.