The following article can be found at the Democrat & Chronicle
January 12th, 2024
When To File an Insurance Claim?
Insurance should cover substantial repair work
After 50 mph winds whipped across New York from Buffalo to the Hudson Valley Tuesday, you may be wondering whether you should file a homeowner’s insurance claim for any resulting wind damage to your home or property.
Here’s what you should know about the pros and cons of filing with your insurance for minor wind damage — if you’ve filed multiple wind claims in recent years, you may be in for more hassle than a few lost roofing shingles.
How the wind storm impacted NY residents
The highest wind speed recorded in Rochester during Tuesday’s storm was 52 mph at the Frederick Douglass Greater Rochester International Airport.
Wind gusts exceeded 70 mph in the Finger Lakes, the North Country and the Buffalo area, while Westchester County and in New York City saw 50 to 60 mph winds. Parts of Westchester and Rockland Counties saw significant, widespread flooding amid heavy rain.
Nearly 900 Rochester Gas and Electric Corp. customers were still without power as of 6 a.m. Wednesday. More than half of those customers, roughly 450, are in Webster, a town close to Lake Ontario.
Will wind damage be covered under my insurance in NY?
It should be.
“One of the things people are concerned about is when an event happens, like a windstorm, for instance, are they going to be covered under their homeowners policy,” attorney Steve Foley, of Steve Foley Law Firm, said. “The answer to that question is almost 100% of the time, yes.”
Will my insurance rates go up if I file a wind damage claim?
Yes and no.
“A one-off storm, or even a storm that happens a couple years in a row, is not the type of thing that’s going to go into their matrix and make the insurance companies reassess how the wind component that goes into the homeowners policies should be impacting premiums,” Foley said.
However, if you put a larger claim through — upwards of $5,000 — homeowners may see a surcharge for the following year. The surcharge typically comes off after a year though, according to Foley.
If you already filed a number of roof damage claims prior to Tuesday’s storm but have yet to fix the previous damage, and then you file again for damage from the most recent storm, you may see a greater impact on your premiums for the following year.
As in, your insurance company could drop your coverage.
“I think certainly that a person who has a number of claims, three or four claims, within a short period of time ... insurance companies may be more inclined under those circumstances to say we’re not interested in continuing or you’re going to see a significant increase in your premium where they, in a way, encourage you to go out in the marketplace and maybe shop around,” Foley said.
Should I file a wind damage claim in NY?
If a person’s home has sustained minor damage and the homeowners feel they are able to foot the bill for the repairs, Foley said people usually avoid filing claims.
“The one caveat is if it seems substantial,” Foley said. “And then the thing with roofs is that it may look like a couple of shingles came off. But if they were off for a while and some of the under layers of the roof have gotten wet and there’s been damage, and you may not know the full extent, I would always err on the side of caution and submit a timely claim to your insurance carrier.”
Timely being within 30 days of the incident, Foley added.
If you do choose to file a claim, Foley recommends first calling your insurance agent and then sending an email with the information to your agent and printing off a copy so you can keep your own documentation of the interaction.
Additionally, take photos of the damage and maintain your own files to stay on top of your claim.
Source: Democrat & Chronicle (January 12th, 2024)
Emily Barnes is the New York State Team consumer advocate reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Contact Barnes at ebarnes@gannett.com or on Twitter @byemilybarnes.
