If your home has suffered some Sandy damage, now is the time to pick up the phone and call your insurance company--even before you start cleaning up.
"Put in claims quickly with your insurer's 24-hour 800 number, as claims are prioritized by severity and time of reporting," NYC apartment insurance broker Jeff Schneider of Gotham Brokerage told us earlier this week.
"If you have a claim, document your damage with your phone's camera," advised Schneider. "Keep track of any expenses you incur to minimize damage or do emergency repairs."
Also, said Schneider, "try not to dispose of damaged goods before they are seen by the insurance company, but if you have to, take good photos, and take steps to dry out/air out damaged, wet areas to prevent mold growth."
For a crash course in navigating the claims process, here are some of the best online resources we found on filing a claim, getting paid, and your options if you don't have flood insurance:
- What your insurance does and doesn't cover(DailyFinance;previously)
- Watch out for hurricane deductibles; plus what to do if you don't have flood insurance(Associated Press)
- How to get your insurance company to pay(Daily Finance)
- 'Nothing sells flood insurance like a flood'(Associated Press via Weather.com)
- File your Sandy insurance claim within 24 hours(Bostinno.com)
- How to file a claim with FEMA(DNAinfo)
- Even if you have flood insurance, some limits apply(NY Times)
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