It may take several months to settle an insurance claim for hurricane damage. However, in some cases, the settlement process may take significantly longer. The exact time frame shifts on a case-by-case basis.
Insurance companies often try to drag out this process to avoid paying out a claim.
Fortunately, you can work with a Lafayette hurricane damage lawyer and get help dealing with the insurance company and expediting the negotiation process. Attorneys can often handle insurance negotiations in only a few months.
How Long Will It Take to Settle a Hurricane Insurance Claim?
The time it takes to settle a hurricane insurance claim in Louisiana will vary based on how quickly you file your claim and how clearly you can establish your losses. You can minimize the time it takes to secure compensation by hiring an attorney to help.
Generally, you can expect to spend time negotiating with the insurance company before arriving at a settlement. An attorney can provide more information about what to expect from these negotiations and how long a hurricane insurance claim takes to settle.
Laborde Earles injury was great for me they took care of me very fast and professional. If for any reason I need legal help they will be who I use.
ClientHow Do You Start Settlement Negotiations After a Hurricane?
You must file an insurance claim to begin the insurance negotiation process. In your claim, you should include information about all of the damage done by the hurricane.
The insurance company may accept your claim immediately in some cases. In most other situations, the company may reject your initial claim. The company’s response letter may request additional information about your losses.
Generally, this rejection serves as the beginning of negotiations.
You Have Limited Time to File a Hurricane Insurance Claim
How long do you have to file an insurance claim for hurricane damage in Louisiana? Generally, insurance companies expect you to file your claim within 180 days of the hurricane.
However, the Louisiana Department of Insurance (LDI) recommends that you file a claim as quickly as possible as part of the state’s after-the-storm resources, especially because some insurers offer you substantially less time to request compensation.
For example, if you have an insurance policy through the National Flood Insurance Program, you only have 60 days to file a claim. Therefore, you should move forward with your claim right away.
I thank God for Digger & David. I don’t know what we would have done if it hadn’t have been for them.
Rick Smith | ClientHow Long Does It Take the Insurance Company to Respond?
Once you file an insurance claim after a hurricane, the company should send someone to your property to assess the damage within 30 days. However, during hurricane season, the time you have to wait may vary based on the amount of damage caused by the storms.
We know that you will likely have to make some repairs to your property within 30 days of a storm to prevent additional damage from occurring. Therefore, it’s essential that you take videos and photos of how your home looked immediately after the storm to record the damage.
Your attorney can share these photos and videos with the insurance company representatives. You should also make an immediate inventory of all the possessions destroyed or damaged by the hurricane.
The reassurance from Digger and his staff gave me that renewed hope that it’s going to be okay down the road.
ClientThe Insurance Company May Settle After Reviewing Your Losses
Once the insurance company comes to your property and assesses all of your losses, it may settle with you to cover the damage. How long does a hurricane insurance claim take to settle in this case? It may take only a few months from the date of the storm.
How Long Will It Take the Insurance Company to Pay You?
Generally, the insurer only has 30 days to make a payment towards your losses after getting your claim and determining that you experienced the damage you reported. Some companies will make a payment earlier than this deadline, reacting within only a few days.
On the other hand, some companies try to get around this deadline by dragging out the process. They may claim that you:
- Failed to submit all the proper forms
- Transposed a number incorrectly in your address
- Misfiled some of your paperwork
You can work with an attorney to deal with these stall tactics from the insurance company. Lawyers know how to expedite the process of filing a hurricane insurance claim to help you minimize the time you have to wait for your settlement money.
A lawyer can also help you review the average settlement for hurricane damage in Louisiana and track the extent of your specific losses.
They treated us like no other people would. Whenever we needed something they were there for us. I put my trust in them and I don’t regret it.
ClientTalk to Us About Settling Your Hurricane Insurance Claim
So, how long does a hurricane insurance claim take to settle? In many cases, this process takes several months. You can reduce the overall time it takes to receive your settlement money with professional help from our team at Laborde Earles.
We have centuries of combined experience and know how to handle insurance companies. In fact, we recently secured a $11,800,000 verdict as part of a hurricane claim in Louisiana. You can call or fill out our online contact form to learn more.
