Can You Negotiate a Hurricane Ian Insurance Claim?

Contrary to what you may be told, homeowners can always negotiate Hurricane Ian Insurance claims. Many people are currently receiving undervalued or denied settlement offers. Sadly, most people have no idea they can actually challenge that initial offer, leaving them to pay out of their own pocket for uncovered repairs.

Here’s why you can negotiate a Hurricane Ian insurance claim and how:

You Always Have the Right to Negotiate Hurricane Ian Claims

You may be told by your insurance company that it’s a one-time offer and to take it or leave it. You may be told that negotiations violate your policy terms. They are lying. You always have the right to negotiate Hurricane Ian insurance claims.

The reality is, that insurance companies don’t want to negotiate because that means they’ll end up with higher expenses. They want to minimize their outgoing costs. They’re for-profit companies after all. So they lie, manipulate, duck and dive.

You Can Use an Attorney

Your insurance company may also try to scare you from using a property damage attorney. Again, this is merely a manipulative lie. You always have the right to use a Florida property damage attorney.

It won’t violate your policy or result in any other punishment that they threaten.

In fact, it’s highly recommended. In fact, using lawyers in insurance settlement negotiations can result in significantly higher settlement offers – even with attorney fees factored in.

Our property damage insurance claim attorneys will negotiate on your behalf. Before becoming attorneys, we actually worked on the opposite side of the table so we know how it works. We will fight aggressively and fairly to ensure you get the maximum possible settlement to rebuild your home.

Don’t Take The First Offer

Insurance claims adjusters very, very rarely give a fair settlement off the bat.

One of the oldest tricks in the insurance book is to make a very lowball offer first. Why? Because most of the time, the policyholder bites. Also, it quickly reveals if you know what you’re talking about.

We highly recommend you reject the initial offer and say you will speak to your property damage attorney before negotiating your Hurricane Ian claim, or provide a counteroffer that you know is a sufficient amount to cover all your damage, repairs, replacements and related expenses.

Know The True Valuation of Your Insurance Claim

If you know the true value of your Hurricane Ian insurance claim, then negotiations are far easier. You won’t be fooled and manipulated by insurance adjuster lies. Instead, you can question their settlement offer to the minor details.

Here’s how it’s done:

Understand Replacement Cost vs Actual Cash Value
Collect receipts and proof of purchases
Get expert opinions on valuable items
Know your policy
Use an independent adjuster

You Can Reopen a ‘Closed’ Hurricane Ian Claim

Even if you’ve received a letter stating ‘the file is now closed’, you can still reopen the case!

Insurance companies often say it’s closed, but what they mean is “we’re finished dealing with your claim”. But that doesn’t actually mean it’s game over. In fact, you can always contest the settlement offer.

You can try to reopen your Hurricane Ian claim yourself, but it’s going to be stressful and difficult. They’ll probably keep saying “the case is closed” or even start to ignore you entirely.

That’s why you should use a Florida property damage attorney. Once the insurance company understands they’re talking to an attorney, they immediately start to take things seriously. There’s no point in messing about at that point, they know they can’t get away with it.

Re-opening can also be useful if your property has suffered further hurricane-related damage since the initial offer. For example, you may have accepted an offer but as your roof had not been repaired quickly enough, rain had got in and the damage got more severe. In that case, you can reopen the claim to prove that you need further coverage following their slow repair response.

Know Your Insurance Policy Before You Negotiate

Make sure you’ve read and understood your insurance policy clearly. That way, you can’t be outsmarted or left to miss out on any potential areas of coverage. Things like knowing the difference between water damage and flood damage are common knowledge to insurance adjusters, but often confusing to policyholders.

If you don’t understand anything, consider contacting a Florida property damage attorney who will help explain everything so the negotiations go smoothly.

Get The Final Settlement Offer in Writing

Once you’ve negotiated your Hurricane Ian claim to a satisfactory figure, ensure you get it in writing. This letter or document should detail the final insurance settlement amount, the coverage, and the date when you’ll receive the necessary documents.

Don’t rely on merely a phone call offer. Request that the insurance company sends it in an email or letter.

What Happens If Hurricane Ian Claim Negotiations Fail?

It’s not uncommon for our property damage claimants to struggle with negotiations. We often see people overwhelmed with the responsibility of talking to these daunting companies about large sums of money. You may even have accepted a lowball offer.

Fear not, it’s not over yet. You can still reopen your case. We advise you to contact a Florida property damage attorney as soon as possible to tackle the insurance company head-on and rescue the situation.

Contact a Hurricane Ian Insurance Claim Lawyer Today

Free Consultations!

If you need to negotiate a Hurricane Ian insurance claim, our Florida property damage attorneys can help.

Attorney Jonathon Douglas leads the property damage claim team nationally ranked by US News and World Reports as a Tier 1 Law Firm, Battaglia Ross Dicus & McQuaid, P.A.

Having previously represented some of the largest insurance companies in the State of Florida, Mr. Douglas uses his inside knowledge and experience to help navigate hurricane insurance disputes.

Regardless of your situation, you can receive a free consultation today.