Many victims of hurricanes, such as Hurricanes Michael, Sally, Ian, and now Milton do not understand their rights or even know how to determine the full extent of their losses after a storm or even which insurance company may be responsible.  Most people believe that if they have insurance and want only what is fair, everything will be fine and that they cannot afford to hire an attorney.  Often, both of these beliefs are untrue.  As experienced hurricane claim attorneys who have been helping policyholders will their hurricane claims for decades, here is what we want homeowners to know about hiring an attorney to help with your Hurricane Milton claim:

Contacting an Attorney to Simply Ask Questions is Free

At Taylor, Warren, Weidner, Hancock & Barnes, we never charge any fee or cost or require any obligation for you to speak with one of our attorneys and get answers to your questions.  Many attorneys offer a free initial consultation.  You should use this resource, and also be sure to ask any insurance dispute attorney these three questions before choosing to hire them.  Our attorneys have been helping homeowners with their hurricane claims as far back as Hurricane Opal in 1995 and we are poised to help Floridians with their Hurricane Milton claims now in 2024.  We know the insurance company's playbook and the many tactics they will often take to try to reduce the value of your claim and pay you as little as possible for your damage.  Don't let them when it will not cost you anything to simply learn your rights and the steps you can take to best preserve your insurance claim. 

Florida Investigation Revealed Insurers Were Reducing Damage Estimates on Ian Claims

Why do you need a professional looking out for you?  Because the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation and national media investigated and found numerous insurers had altered the initial estimates of damage prepared by field adjusters they hired, reducing obvious damage in the hundreds of thousands down to a fraction and paying only that small amount.  Heritage was hit with unprecedented fines for this egregious behavior.  If you think you will receive a fair payout if you only want what is fair, news reports such as these should tell you otherwise.  You deserve to have professionals fighting for you and the full value of your claim. 

Most Attorneys Take Hurricane Claims on a Contingency Basis

We don't get paid unless you get paid more on your insurance claim.  That is our policy at TWWHB, and many attorneys also operate under this same agreement, which is called a contingency basis.  This means there is no upfront fee or cost that you are obligated to pay for us to take your case and fight your insurance company for you.  Our firm will cover the costs initially and not charge you for our work unless and until we are able to get the insurance company to pay you more on your claim.  Once a recovery is made, we then recover the costs we paid and work to recover our fees either from the insurance company directly or out of your recovery if that is the only option under Florida's new property laws which provided more protections for insurance companies. 

Waiting to Hire an Attorney Could Delay or Harm Your Claim

We have discussed the potential downsides of waiting to hire an attorney here.  These can include:

1.     Giving the insurance company more time to generate evidence they can use to deny your claim;

2.     Failing to meet post-loss obligations you have under the policy that you may not be aware of that will allow your insurance company to deny your claim entirely; and

3.     Incurring more damage than you might not have otherwise suffered had you been able to get paid on your claim and undertake your repairs sooner. 

If you worry that hiring an attorney will anger your insurance company and make them treat you unfairly, this is a misnomer.  As the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation investigation into Hurricane Ian claims shows, insurers may treat you unfairly if it suits their bottom dollar whether you hire an attorney or not.  Hiring an experienced insurance claim attorney, like our attorneys at TWWHB, early is the best way to be certain your rights will be protected.    

Get Help With Your Hurricane Milton Claim

Our experienced hurricane insurance claim attorneys at TWWHB have been helping home and business owners with their hurricane insurance claims as far back as Hurricane Opal in 1995.  We stand poised to help those who suffered damage from Hurricane Milton.  We have a vast network of contractors, engineers, adjusters, and other experts that we utilize.  These resources help accurately assess your damages, thoroughly document and itemize all of your belongings, and analyze complex weather data to show what natural forces caused damage to your home.  Having an attorney acting in your best interest when dealing with an insurance company after a significant storm is one of the best ways to ensure your rights are protected and you recover as much as possible on your hurricane insurance claim.  If you have suffered damage from winds or tornadoes from Hurricane Milton and are unsure of the extent of your damages, the cost to repair, or the value of your insurance claim, contact us.