The one-year anniversary of Hurricane Harvey is August 25, 2018. And with that, the deadline is approaching fast to file a Proof of Loss along with your Supplemental Claim to seek additional payments from your flood insurance company. Do not wait until the last minute to file for additional money from your flood or wind insurance carrier.
Crucial Deadline For Hurricane Harvey Flood Victims
Many policyholders are not aware that the deadline exists, or what the Proof of Loss deadline means. If more damage has been found, or if a policyholder did not receive sufficient payment to rebuild, they may be able to file a Supplemental Claim. If your flood insurance company has not paid you your flood damage policy limits and your contents damage policy limits, you may be entitled to collect additional funds. But you must accurately submit the new documents before the deadline. Without submitting a complete Proof of Loss before the deadline, a policyholder’s claim is permanently closed, and no legal action can be taken.
Many Texans will lose their right to additional flood insurance money that they’re entitled to – this situation is urgent. Texans with flood insurance claims must submit their sworn proof of loss document along with documents to support the proof of loss by the anniversary of Hurricane Harvey. The Proof of Loss is a requirement under the flood insurance policy that people must submit. If you fail to submit an accurate proof of loss with the full amounts of damage you are claiming to the flood insurance company and the Flood Insurance Adjuster by August 25, 2018, you cannot challenge the adjuster’s determination and/or collect any additional money for your flood-damaged home or business.
This applies to anyone who is unhappy because the insurance company didn’t pay them enough for their flood damage; anyone with a supplemental claim for their property or personal property (contents) claim; anyone still working with the insurance company or adjuster on their claim; anyone whose claim has been denied in part or in full; and so many more. Basically, unless you are 100% satisfied with how much you have been paid on your Harvey flood claim, you need to submit your Proof of Loss.
Many people do not realize that their flood insurance policy contains a section titled “Requirements in Case of Loss.” That flood policy provision states: In the case of a flood loss to an insured property you must:…send us a proof of loss, which is your statement of the amount you are claiming under the policy signed and sworn to by you, and which furnishes us with the following information: (a) The date and time of loss; (b) A brief explanation of how the loss happened…(f) Specifications of damages buildings and detailed repair estimates…(i) The inventory of damaged personal property…
Texans must know that they are not required to sign and submit the Insurance Adjuster’s Proof of Loss that contains the insurance company’s amounts of claim and damage—and Texans should not sign and submit the Insurance Adjuster’s form unless they understand and agree to the amounts contained because signing means you’re swearing to its accuracy under the penalty of perjury. No one wants to swear to something they do not agree with!
The Proof of Loss is not the same as filing your claim or submitting a contractor’s or public adjuster’s estimate for your damages and claim. The Proof of Loss is a form that is required under the Flood Insurance Policy. A copy of the required form can be found below: Texans need to submit this form with all the information filled in and completed to the best of their knowledge. They should provide complete and accurate documentation to support the amounts claimed in the Proof of Loss. Good examples of documentation to provide with the proof of loss may include detailed itemized estimates for flood damages and repairs from a public adjuster or contractor; paid invoices, receipts, estimates, bids, or proposals for completed repairs; photographs of damages as well as pre-Harvey photographs; detailed contents inventory that includes personal property damaged and amounts to replace each item; among anything else that you have to show flood damages, repairs needed, and pre-loss condition.
FEMA has incredibly strict requirements related to the proof of loss and supporting documents. The deadline is quickly approaching, and it is imperative to timely submit these required documents. If filling out a proof of loss seems too complicated or confusing, seek assistance from a professional with significant experience handling flood insurance claims and matters – like a public adjuster.
Remember to submit your completed sworn to proof of loss by August 25, 2018. If you need assistance with filling out this form or filing your proof of loss before the deadline, give Noble Public Adjusting Group a call. We will help you any way we can. Noble has an office in Texas, so we are intimately familiar with handling claims that resulted from Hurricane Harvey.
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1 See Standard Flood Insurance Policy at p. 19 – 20, https://www.fema.gov/…/14495…/F-122_Dwelling_SFIP_102015.pdf.
Noble Public Adjusting Group
107 Amar Place Suite 103
Panama City Beach (West End), FL 32413
(850) 249-MY-PA