Personal Property-Contents Worksheet
Claim Guidelines in case of a flood
Insured's Responsibilities After Loss
Flood Insurance Claim Handbook
Condominium Unit Owners
POST-FIRM Enclosure Coverage
Basement Coverage
ICC Information
Turn your claim into your agent or carrier as soon as possible. Expect to be contacted by an adjuster for an appointment; in major storms, initial contact may not be immediate.
Therefore, begin to help yourself by:
Photograph your damages as much as possible.
You may begin clean-up and tear-out on a limited basis, and the sooner the better to limit your loss and return your life to normal.
Make an inventory of damaged personal property or inventory on a room by room basis.
List these items by age, their replacement cost value, and the dollars each item will cost to be repaired or replaced – you may download a contents worksheet from our web site.
Please list the serial numbers of all equipment, electrical items, and gas powered items.
Give these photos and inventories to the adjuster as soon as possible.
When the adjuster arrives for the inspection, walk through the damaged areas with them and have the adjuster give you an idea of items to be repaired and/or replaced in the building.
Ask the adjuster for an advance payment on your loss.
Write down the adjuster’s name and phone number, both temporary and permanent.
Allow appropriate time for the adjuster to extend the scope of damages and the personal property or inventory and call them to find out when the loss will be concluded – your adjuster will know before the carrier or the adjusting company.
In most insurance claims, you only have 60 days to settle the loss. Please make
sure you do not exceed your policy condition or your loss may be denied.
Concerning your Proof of Loss.....The National Flood Insurance Program was established
by Congress and is a Federal Law. Because it is a law, all insured's are
charged with knowing it and abiding by it. The law states you must File a
Proof of Loss within 60 days, or your loss can be denied for this fact alone.
Neither the agent, the carrier or the adjuster has the authority to change any
policy provisions. This is why the Proof of Loss is needed as soon as possible.
The proof will probably go from you to the adjuster, to their supervisor, and then
to the carrier. All submissions are reviewed for accuracy and could
be returned for revisions or clarifications. We do not want your time for
submitting the proof, and it's documentation to be jeopardized because any party
to it fails to act in a timely manner.
The Proof of Loss is a recap of the policy declarations, and with the attaching
worksheets, outlines the items that are being agreed as covered and damaged, up
to the potential policy limits. Since the proof and documentation submitted
outlines each item being paid, if additional covered damages are unknown when
the proof is submitted, or undocumented because the amount of the repairs is not
yet verified, then a supplemental claim can be submitted, assuming all other policy
terms have been complied with by the insured.
It is in the insured's best interest to comply with all policy provisions,
and an adjuster was made available to help you document and file your loss within
the policy terms. Please feel free to contact the adjuster and discuss any
and all related questions you may have.
If you try to compare the adjuster’s worksheets vs. contractor’s
estimate – make sure the contractor’s estimate is broken down room by room, line by line, in units and dollars, or none of us can see where any differences in option may occur.
Depending on the severity of the loss, your loss may be concluded without any overhead and profit, or with 7% overhead should
the insured be serving as his own general contractor or 20% with a signed contract or a signed overhead and profit affidavit (with limits applied by guidelines established on certain items).
Please look at other areas of our website for policies, forms, limiting conditions (basement coverage, post firm elevated building coverage in high hazard zones), and windstorm limits.