How Do You Know If You’re Covered?

At the moment, the entire U.S. is riveted to the path of Hurricane Matthew as it bears down on the Atlantic coast of Florida. The Category 4 hurricane may not directly touch Florida, but its winds and rain are still likely to cause significant property damage — and possibly put lives in danger.

While hurricanes are rarely an issue here in Arizona, when a natural disaster is looming it may be a time to wonder about your homeowners’ insurance coverage. For people in Matthew’s path, their first priority today is making sure they and their families are safe. Once that is taken care of, they may start to wonder if they are covered for hurricanes.

Here are some tips for homeowners to make sure they have the coverage they needs, as provided by CNBC:

• Study your policy. Obviously, the first step to discovering possible gaps in your coverage is to understand what is currently covered.
• Know your deductibles. Though certain damage to your home may be covered, your policy might contain a high deductible for certain situations.
• Take an inventory. If you ever need to make a claim, it will be helpful to know what you own to make sure the claim is accurate. Videos and photographs of your stuff can help you prove what was lost or damaged.

Being proactive can help you improve your chances of getting your claim approved someday. But if your insurance company acts in bad faith, you could be denied no matter what your policy says. If that happens to you, an experienced bad faith insurance lawyer can help you get the money you deserve.