After a hurricane, businesses must go through the lengthy process of evaluating damage and submitting commercial insurance claims. However, it’s certainly not as easy as submitting one claim for all of the damage your business sustained. Instead, you are likely to have to carefully read through all of your policies, determine what damage is covered where, and handle the submission process differently for each type of claim.
Juggling Different Types of Commercial Damage Claims After a Hurricane
Hurricanes are complicated storms, sometimes leaving a wake of property damage from a combination of:
- Rain. Heavy rains are responsible for water damage, leaks, roof damage, and even issues with trees and landscaping. However, rain damage from a hurricane is often accompanied by flood or hail damage, which may be covered differently under your business insurance policies.
- Flooding. Flooding creates complicated damage, even in commercial structures that survive the initial fury of a hurricane, and the damage caused by flooding is often treated differently than water damage from other sources. Depending on the source of the water in your business, you may have to submit your claim under a separate business policy or fight for your coverage.
- Wind. Wind damage is usually handled different from water damage under many commercial policies, and it’s an obvious source of damage from hurricanes. However, high winds can also create problems with flying debris, downed power lines, and fallen trees, which may be more complicated to claim under your policy.
- Hail. Hail can damage roofs, windows, company vehicles, equipment, and more. While some damage may be essentially cosmetic, more severe hail damage may require immediate repairs that aren’t in the budget.
Getting Help With Commercial Insurance Claims—From Start to Finish
Commercial claims aren’t always as straightforward as they should be, and the insurance company isn’t always on your side. Learn more about the commercial claims process by requesting your free copy of our book, Commercial Property Owners Must Read This Before Filing an Insurance Claim or reaching out to our legal team directly by phone or email. Whether you need help preparing to file a claim for your business or have already run into complications and denials, our professional policyholder attorneys can help you pinpoint the route to success.
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