Many weather experts are warning Minnesotans to prepare for tough spring weather with strong winds, hail and more. As many of us know all too well, this can often lead to home insurance claims to repair damages. Hail storms are becoming more common in recent years and may be another contributing factor to raising home insurance coverage.
Storm Damage Causes Need for Claims to Increase
When weather hits, it often leads an entire area with storm damage. With wind and hail storms happening more often in Minnesota, we are seeing that insurance companies are changing coverage and increasing rates to adjust. Companies are often encouraging higher deductibles, especially for wind and hail damage. Some insurance companies will depreciate or actual cash value older roofs that are 15-20 years old rather than doing a full replacement like we had seen in the past. Terms vary between policies. We encourage you to review your current insurance to understand your coverage.
Next Steps After Filing a Claim
You just had a claim. What should you do now? Contact your agent, depending on the severity of the claim, either after hours or during working hours. But the next thing you need to do is protect your home from further damage. Is there a window missing? Let’s get it plastic and boarded up. Is there anything else you can do to protect your home? Are there shingles missing that need to be replaced? Or is it a situation where you need to get a contractor over to put plastic up on the roof?
As the policyholder, it is your responsibility to protect the property until it can get fixed. Those costs are included in the claim so if it means hiring a contractor to come over and get plastic on your roof that is covered in your policy. You want to protect your house from further damage. Keep this in mind as these storms roll through. The main thing is to protect people and after there’s damage claim, take care of the claim, get it fixed and get you back to where it was before.
Harmoning Agency is Your Resource
Insurance can easily get overwhelming and confusing quickly. Before finding yourself confused at what coverage and fine print your insurance coverage has in place, give us a call at Harmoning Agency. We believe in our customers knowing what you are buying. It is important that you know the coverage before the need for coverage hits. Give us a call today to review your current coverage or request a quote. We would like to work with you.