Hurricane Insurance Litigation Law Firm in Louisiana

Insurance companies don't have a deadline to settle a claim for hurricane home damage. However, they typically must respond to your claim in some way within 14 days. During catastrophes like Hurricane Ida, they have 60 days to respond. Suppose you suspect your claim is delayed or your insurance company isn't responding appropriately to keep your claim moving. In that case, contacting a Hurricane Ida claims attorney is in your best interest.

The destructive forces of both wind and water are known to destroy homes. If your home fell victim to Hurricane Ida, we are here for you. If you have insurance, your insurer will pay the cost of repairing (less any deductible you owe) the damage your home sustained from Hurricane Ida.

Louisiana hurricane deductibles might be a static amount, such as $2,000, or they can range between one percent to five percent of the insured property value. But it would help if you watched for special hurricane deductibles in home insurance. Many insurance companies charge higher out-of-pocket costs for you. Some deductibles can be as much as ten percent in states with higher wind risk.

If your home isn't safe, your standard policy should also pay for living expenses elsewhere while your home is repaired. In addition, you can find temporary housing arrangements that your insurance policy will cover so you can continue to pay your mortgage.

You are still obligated to pay your mortgage, even if your home was destroyed in a hurricane. Therefore, destroying your home doesn't relieve you of that financial obligation. However, suppose your home is completely destroyed. In that case, standard homeowner's insurance coverage includes "loss of use" or "additional living expense" protection that provides temporary housing until you recover. It will also provide a claim check to your mortgage company to pay off your mortgage, removing that financial obligation.

If you elected "replacement value" coverage on your homeowner's policy, you would receive additional funds to replace your home. However, this coverage isn't standard and costs extra. Whether or not you have enough coverage to rebuild your home in addition to paying off your mortgage depends on what type and how much coverage you have. An experienced Hurricane Ida attorney can help you understand your insurance policy and what coverages you can access based on your specific situation.

After sustaining property damage in a hurricane, you should call your insurance company immediately and initiate a claim for property damage. You don't need to know the full extent of the property damage to file a claim. After you make your claim, you can take pictures and videos to document the scope of the damages to your property. The insurer will schedule a time for a claims adjuster to come out and look at the damage and begin the process of getting your property repaired.

For tax relief victims of Hurricane Ida, be sure to use FEMA declaration number 4611; for Hurricane Ida in Louisiana, use 4614 on any return for Hurricane Ida claims.

The attorneys at Montiel Hodge can help you with all aspects of your Hurricane Ida insurance claim. No matter what stage of the process, we are here to support you and can handle communications with the insurance company on your behalf. Unfortunately, it takes legal representation to keep your claim moving in the right direction. We can answer your questions and provide you with your options so that you can get the compensation you deserve after your property experiences a hurricane. Call our office today to meet with one of our Louisiana hurricane insurance lawyers.


• Report the claim immediately to your insurance company.

• Take whatever steps you can to prevent further damage to your property.

• Document existing damage with visual aids like photographs and videos.

• Keep detailed records of all losses to the property.

• Save receipts for expenses related to repairs or damage to your property.

There is no limit to the amount of damage a hurricane can cause to your home or property. However, common types of hurricane damage can include the following

• Broken windows and damage from projectiles.

• Inoperable or destroyed doors on houses, garages, barns, and other structures.

• Destruction of personal items and home goods, including furniture or appliances.

• Fire damage from downed wires.

• Flooding and moisture damage.

• Damage to boats, cars, and other private and business vehicles.

• Damage to pools, sheds, and landscaping.

• Roof lifting, destruction of shingles, gutters, and siding.

• Structural damage to walls and porches.

Although keeping an up-to-date inventory of items and personal belongings in your home can be helpful, there are other ways to collect evidence showing what you owned before hurricane destruction. If you don't have official documentation, don't worry. Here are some acceptable methods to demonstrate proof of your personal belongings after they've been lost in a hurricane:

• Collect bank account and credit card statements. Most major purchases are made by check, bank card, or credit card. You can request paper or digital copies of your archived reports to prove these purchases. However, note that sometimes these requests can take a few weeks to process depending on the institution and might require a processing fee.

• Pull together photos. Where possible, look through family and phone photos to see if you have any with the items lost in the hurricane. This can include items in the home and the exterior structure. These can be submitted as evidence for your insurance claim.

• Review videos. Video footage might be another helpful tool to catalog your personal and business belongings: review phones and other digital devices, especially those taken during the holidays.

One of the primary issues with hurricane claims is when settlement offers are inadequate to cover the actual cost of repairs. If you have received a low offer for your hurricane damages, here are some tips to help you fight an unfair settlement offer:

• Be sure of what your claim is worth. Ensure you thoroughly assess all your hurricane damage, keeping in mind that your coverage may not be limited to just the costs of structural damage. You might also be able to seek reimbursement for relocation costs, repairs, business interruption, and a lot more.

• Don’t accept the first offer your insurance company gives you. You don't have to take the first settlement offer you receive from your insurance company. Often, their first offer is lower than it should be. Sometimes, the offer is too low because of an internal error, and other times, insurance companies routinely offer less on the initial settlement to save money on claims they need to pay out. Before accepting any offer, carefully review the terms with a qualified property damage attorney.

• Don't accept any offer with which you disagree. For example, if you receive a settlement offer or check in the mail and disagree with its accuracy, do not accept it or cash the check. Instead, take the offer to a qualified hurricane property damage attorney and have it reviewed.

• Consult with a hurricane attorney in Louisiana as soon as possible. You'll likely have to work with an attorney who is knowledgeable in insurance litigation to get a favorable outcome. Working with an attorney with a long track record of resolving hurricane insurance claims and disputes is vital.

Insurance companies must act in good faith and handle all claims reasonably. However, if you believe your claim has been wrongfully denied or underpaid, we can help. We help citizens throughout Louisiana get the compensation they deserve, so contact us for assistance if you’re in Shreveport, Baton Rouge, New Orleans, or the surrounding areas.

If your home or business suffers any damage in a hurricane, your insurance company might say it is "preexisting damage" and deny your claim. Sometimes this denial is justified, and sometimes it is not.

The first thing you should do is to talk with a qualified and experienced hurricane damage lawyer. Montiel Hodge will review your policy, review the denial, have an expert look at your home, and build a case to get you the compensation you and your family deserve.

Insurance companies use tactics that leave home, business, and property owners in challenging positions. Some of these tactics include:

• Citing preexisting damage before the hurricane to avoid the payment of outstanding claims

• Delaying claims unnecessarily close to the filing deadline

• Outright denial of payment for repairs they deem unnecessary, whatever the reason

• Insisting that policyholders provide cumbersome paperwork and challenging to obtain documentation for recovery

• Claiming that the property damage sustained was not included in the policy terms

• Underpaying the value of submitted claims

• Generating questionable Engineering Reports

Whether your claim has been delayed, underpaid, or denied, Montiel Hodge’s hurricane claims lawyers in Louisiana can help you get the best outcome possible by holding the insurance company responsible for the policy they supplied to the policyholder.

With insurance claims, it’s always best to contact an attorney sooner than later so you can prevent potential mistakes, but clients usually reach out after one of the following:

• Soon after the hurricane passes, contact us as soon as possible after the storm has passed so we can help you assess the damage and prepare a recovery plan.

• After your insurance company has denied your claim, often, insurance denials can be fought with the help of a qualified insurance claim attorney.

• When you need to repair your home or business but can't afford to do it, sometimes home business owners do not realize they can't afford necessary repairs until they begin the process. An attorney may be able to help you speed up the repair process.

• When your insurance company delays judgment on your claim, the claim process is sometimes frustrating, overly complicated, and slow. If you are running into problems with your insurance company, call Montiel Hodge.