Protecting Your Property from the Storms of Life

By Charles Dale, SPPA, President of Jansen International, LLC

Well, they say if you don’t like the weather in Texas…wait a day. From Hurricanes in 2008 to the present day drought, Mother Nature has surely shown us what she’s got. In years past, I have written articles about the challenges and the differences in property insurance claims resulting from windstorm, hurricanes and floods. Now, it is my time to write a few tips and advice on how to address an insurance claim as it relates to the peril of fire and smoke.

First, I believe that most who suffered the massive property loss from the recent wildfires should not experience the same insurance claim challenges as they did in Hurricanes Dolly or Ike, and from the flood event of Tropical storm Allison. Why? Well, for the most part, and from what I have seen, the fire losses in Bastrop and Montgomery should be considered total losses. As many know, the spreading wildfires moved quickly and the firefighting defenses could not keep up. In many cases, the firefighters were forced to let the engulfed homes burn to save others, or were not able to access the burning homes for safety reasons. This resulted in homes that were completely destroyed, two story homes are now two feet tall; a pile of unrecognizable debris.

If there is any good news from all of this, fighting an insurance claim when the losses are this severe should be less challenging. Even the most ornery adjuster will do the right thing when the obvious is in front of him or her. Read More