Avoid these common errors that can reduce your insurance payout by thousands of dollars. From premature repairs to missed deadlines, learn what not to do after storm damage.
After experiencing property damage, most homeowners are understandably focused on getting their lives back to normal. Unfortunately, certain well-intentioned actions can actually harm your insurance claim. Here are five mistakes to avoid:
1. Making Permanent Repairs Before Documentation
While you should always mitigate further damage — tarping a damaged roof, shutting off water to a burst pipe — avoid making permanent repairs until your claim has been thoroughly documented. Carriers will often deny portions of a claim when damage evidence has been removed during premature repairs. If you must make emergency fixes, photograph everything before, during and after.
2. Accepting the First Offer
Insurance companies are businesses with financial incentives to minimise payouts. Their first offer is almost always their lowest, often calculated using broad assumptions rather than a detailed property-specific estimate. Studies consistently show that policyholders who negotiate — or hire a public adjuster — receive significantly higher settlements. In our experience, first offers routinely undervalue claims by 50% or more.
3. Missing Filing Deadlines
Every state has specific timeframes for reporting damage and filing claims. In Florida, you generally have two years from the date of loss, but certain policy endorsements can shorten that window. Illinois gives policyholders one year for most claims. Missing these windows can result in total claim denial, regardless of how legitimate your damage is. Mark your calendar and set reminders.
4. Not Documenting Everything
Take photos and videos of all damage before any cleanup begins — from wide-angle shots of entire rooms to close-ups of specific damage points. Keep receipts for temporary repairs, hotel stays, meals and other displacement expenses. Maintain a written log of all communications with your insurer, including dates, names and summaries of conversations. This paper trail becomes critical if a claim is disputed.
5. Throwing Away Damaged Items
Don't discard damaged property until the insurance company has inspected it, or you have comprehensive photo and video documentation. We've seen carriers reduce claims by tens of thousands of dollars because policyholders cleaned up and disposed of evidence before the adjuster arrived. If you need to remove items for health or safety reasons, document them extensively first and store what you can.
Bonus: Not Hiring a Public Adjuster
Many homeowners don't realise they have the right to hire their own adjuster. The insurance company's adjuster works for the carrier — not for you. A licensed public adjuster advocates exclusively for your interests, handles all documentation and negotiation, and typically recovers significantly more than unrepresented policyholders.
If you've experienced property damage, the single best step you can take is to call a licensed public adjuster before engaging with the carrier's settlement process.