I've never filed a homeowner's claim before, but while we were out of town a big storm came through our area. Our neighbors tree fell and crushed our above ground pool and damaged a shed. The wind broke all the poles on the trampoline. We have been without power for multiple days so of course all food is trash.
I figured if I have to file a claim I should try to include everything, correct? If so, anything else I should be thinking of?
Posted by pixeybird
4 Comments
Yes, if you are filing a claim then you will need proof. Assuming you are filing on your insurance, they should go over what can be covered as well as your deductible and what they will need to support the claim. Pictures of damaged items/spoiled food. If you have any support as to how much the broken items cost (receipts, etc.), then you will want those.
If you are trying to file a claim on the neighbors insurance, then you will need to prove what you lost, but you also have to prove they were liable. Just because their tree fell on your property does not necessarily make them liable.
How much are you estimating in damage?
Above ground pools unless you got one of the really really nice ones are only a couple thousand dollars at most. Trampoline is like 500 at most.
How big is the shed and what kind of damage are you looking at?
Food i would never in my life try to claim on my insurance.
Basically what i’m getting at is your probably only looking at 3k or 4k in damages which i would tell you isn’t worth a home insurance claim. You have your deductible, which most people use at least 1k so your looking at pretty minimal out of pocket.
as a complete aside, if your insurance company isn’t already aware of your trampoline, you should a) not include it in your claim, b) dispose of it before they get there to inspect, c) not replace it, and d) thank the storm for getting rid of the almost guaranteed non-renewal of your policy that would have resulted once they found out about it
even if they are aware, you should still strongly consider those steps lol
Include all storm damages: pool, shed, trampoline, and food spoilage due to power outage. Document with photos and receipts. Contact your insurance company promptly to initiate the claim process.