Hurricane Damage Claims
Hurricane or storm damage claim? We document every loss and fight for the full payout your policy owes.
What we document and recover.
Hurricane and tropical storm damage is the most complex category of property insurance claims. Wind-driven rain, flying debris, storm surge, and structural damage often combine into losses that carriers routinely undervalue on the first pass.
Vanguard Claims handles hurricane damage claims end to end, from the initial inspection and damage scope through negotiation and final settlement. We document wind damage, roof failure, water intrusion, structural shifts, and interior losses with the specificity insurers demand.
- Roof damage and loss of covering
- Wind-driven rain and water intrusion
- Structural wall and framing damage
- Impact damage from debris
- Interior contents and personal property
- Additional living expenses (ALE)
- Business interruption losses
Florida's hurricane season runs June through November. Under Fla. Stat. § 627.70132, hurricane and windstorm claims on policies effective on or after December 16, 2022 must be reported within one year of the date of loss (18 months for a supplemental claim). Acting quickly protects your rights, because delays give carriers grounds to limit recovery.
South Carolina's coast takes direct hits from Atlantic hurricanes and tropical systems. Wind, wind-driven rain, and the resulting interior damage are covered on a standard homeowners policy, but flood and storm surge are excluded and need separate flood coverage. Carriers fight hardest over how much damage came from covered wind versus excluded water, so we document the wind cause precisely and report early. Your policy's own notice and proof-of-loss deadlines usually control how fast you must act.
Does homeowners insurance cover hurricane damage?
Yes. Wind and wind-driven rain from a hurricane are covered perils on a standard homeowners policy, though a separate, higher hurricane deductible usually applies. The exception is flood: rising water and storm surge are excluded from homeowners coverage and need a separate flood policy. After a storm, insurers fight hardest over which losses came from covered wind versus excluded flood, and over how much of the damage was 'pre-existing.'
Common causes of hurricane damage
- Wind uplift tearing off shingles, tiles, or the full roof covering
- Wind-driven rain forcing water through the roof, windows, and wall systems
- Flying debris and tree-limb impact to the roof, walls, and openings
- Structural racking and framing shift from sustained high winds
- Soffit, fascia, and gable-end failures that let water into the attic
- Power loss spoilage, fence and screen-enclosure loss, and ALE while displaced
How the hurricane claim process works
From the day of the loss to the final payment, here's how we move a hurricane claim, and where most of the recovery is won.
- Secure the propertyTarp the roof, board openings, and stop further water intrusion. Safety first, but document the damage before you cover it.
- Mitigate further damageMost policies require reasonable steps to prevent additional loss. Keep every emergency-service and materials receipt; those costs are reimbursable.
- Document everythingPhotos and video from multiple angles, the storm name and date, and a room-by-room loss inventory before cleanup begins.
- We inspect and scopeWe re-inspect the property, separate covered wind/water damage from excluded causes, and build a line-item scope that captures the full loss.
- File or supplement the claimWe submit (or re-open) the claim with documentation built to the standard the carrier demands, so it can't be brushed off as 'insufficient.'
- Insurer inspectionThe carrier sends its own field adjuster. We meet them on site to make sure nothing on our scope gets quietly dropped.
- Negotiate the settlementWe push back on omissions, depreciation, and lowball line items, and we invoke the policy's appraisal clause when the carrier won't move.
- Settle and rebuildOnce the settlement is fair, we make sure recoverable depreciation and any code-upgrade costs are released so you can fully repair.
Why insurers underpay hurricane claims
- Wind-vs-flood disputes. Carriers attribute covered wind damage to excluded flooding to shift it off the homeowners policy. We document the wind-driven cause and timeline.
- Pre-existing-damage denials. They blame the loss on age or prior storms. We tie the damage pattern to the specific event with dated evidence and weather data.
- Depreciation games. They withhold recoverable depreciation and hope you never claim it back. We make sure it's released after repairs.
- Scope omissions. Interior water damage, code upgrades, ALE, and detached structures get left off the first estimate. We put them back on.
- Hurricane-deductible confusion. An incorrectly applied hurricane deductible can wrongly slash your net payment. We verify it's calculated to the policy terms.
Signs your hurricane settlement is too low
- The offer is below your licensed contractor's repair estimate
- Interior water damage or contents are missing from the scope
- Excessive depreciation has been applied to a recent roof or system
- ALE (temporary housing) was denied while your home is unlivable
- The hurricane deductible looks larger than your policy terms allow
If any of these match your claim, it's worth a free second look. A complete, well-documented scope is what reverses a lowball offer.
What to document after hurricane damage
- Dated photos and video of every damaged area, inside and out, from multiple angles
- The storm's name and date of loss
- Pre-loss condition photos, if you have them
- A licensed contractor's repair or replacement estimate
- Emergency tarp, board-up, and mitigation receipts
- Hotel and additional-living-expense receipts while displaced
- Your policy declarations page
- Every letter, email, and field-adjuster report from your insurer
How long do you have to file a hurricane claim?
Filing deadlines depend on your state and your policy. Here's how the time limits work where we're licensed.
Florida
For policies effective on or after December 16, 2022, you generally have one year from the date of loss to report a new claim and 18 months to file a supplemental claim (Fla. Stat. § 627.70132). Policies effective before that date may have longer windows. Either way, evidence fades fast after a loss, so the sooner the damage is documented, the stronger the claim.
More detail: Florida insurance claim deadlines explained.
South Carolina
You generally have three years to file suit on a property insurance policy (S.C. Code Ann. § 15-3-530), but your policy's own notice and proof-of-loss deadlines are usually much shorter and control how quickly you must act. Because the deadline that matters is most often the one written into your policy, report and document your loss as early as you can. We'll review the specific deadlines that apply to your claim.
More detail: the South Carolina claims guide.
This is general information, not legal advice. Filing deadlines depend on your state, your policy's effective date, and its terms. Talk to a licensed adjuster about your specific claim.
How Vanguard handles hurricane claims
A licensed public adjuster handles your file start to finish: we inspect the property, build a line-item scope to the standard the carrier demands, file or re-open the claim, meet the carrier's field adjuster on site, and negotiate, invoking the policy's appraisal clause when they won't move.
We work on contingency. There are no upfront fees; the fee comes out of what we actually recover for you, and only after the carrier pays. If we don't recover, you don't pay. The fee for your claim is set out in the written contingency agreement before you sign.
New to this? Start with what a public adjuster does, or see what a public adjuster costs.
Hurricane Damage claim FAQ
The storm passes. The fight for your payout begins.
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We document the full loss and fight for the payout your policy owes.