Damage to your home or business from natural disasters can create hazardous living conditions that demand immediate attention and repairs or replacement.  Your home insurance policy will likely cover some natural disasters and weather events, including wind, hail, lightning, and wildfires.  However floods and sinkholes are often excluded from insurance coverage because they are considered “ground movements.” Flooding may require a completely separate flood insurance policy or upgrading a basic policy to give you protection.  

The value of your insurance claim will depend on the kind of policy you have, what exclusions are associated with your policy, what kind of property coverage you have purchased, and your deductible. Determining the value of your homeowner’s insurance claim involves understanding your policy in full, reading the fine print, knowing the kind of documentation and support you’ll need to provide, and getting estimates of the value of damages to your property.

Being prepared for natural disasters and taking the right steps following property damage can have an enormously positive impact on your ability to receive a fair settlement, especially when dealing with insurance companies.  To that end, insurance companies are usually more concerned with preserving their bottom line than providing their policyholders with the benefits they bargained for.  Insurers will attempt to delay, deny or underpay valid claims, which is why having a knowledgeable property damage attorney fighting for your rights is essential.

Corless Law Group serves clients throughout the Sunshine State, and we have a history of record-setting settlements and verdicts.  Our Large Loss trial law firm has a reputation for powerful advocacy, experience in high-stakes trial work, and managing a complex multi-million dollar civil litigation practice. We are here to protect your rights and help you recover the maximum compensation for damages to your home or business after a natural disaster.  To help take the confusion out of a property damage insurance dispute you may have, contact us at 813-258-4998.  

No one expects to become a victim of a residential or commercial business fire.  Investigators in Colorado continue to weigh the cause of the fires that, with the help of ferocious winds, swept east into Superior and Louisville.  If you have experienced property damage or property loss due to a fire, it is essential to consult a law firm that has experience litigating these types of disputes. 

Corless Law Group guides residential and commercial property owners through each step of the process to secure full compensation for their property damage insurance claims.  Call us today at 813-258-4998 for a free consultation.

Scientists say climate change is making weather more extreme and wildfires more frequent and destructive.  The fires charred numerous neighborhoods in a suburban area northwest of Denver and high winds pushed flames that fed on bone-dry grasses and vegetation on open spaces to suburban subdivisions.  Global warming increases the risk of the hot, dry weather that fuels wildfires.  About 90 percent of Boulder County was in severe or extreme drought last Dec.  Denver set a record for consecutive days without snow before it got a small storm on Dec. 10.  The fires, fueled by dry conditions and winds that gusted more than 100 mph, were blamed for destroying more than a thousand structures. 

Most homes affected by the raging wildfires in Colorado were completely destroyed.  The fires caused severe property damage to both structures and personal belongings.  A fire damage insurance claim could also include potential lost wages and business interruption losses.  Even partial property damage caused by a fire can make a house unlivable or require costly repairs.  Additionally, fires can damage heating and cooling systems as well as plumbing.

Unfortunately, rarely do insurance providers act swiftly and fairly to pay your fire, smoke, water, electrical or soot damage claim.  Many policyholders experience unfair delays, low-ball settlement offers or claim denials, which is why you need an experienced lawyer fighting for your rights.  

Our fire damage lawyers go to court and will fight for our clients’ rights.  We know how important it is for you to recover the full value of your claim and especially Large Loss insurance claims involving multi-unit buildings.  

Corless Law Group is an elite, boutique law firm focused on securing maximum compensation for clients involved in property damage disputes.  With more than $500 million achieved in case results, turn to a trial law firm that has the experience investigating and litigating property damage claims.  For a free consultation, get in touch with us today by calling 813-258-4998.  

As a law firm that aggressively fights to secure insurance coverage for insureds who experience property damage or property loss, we have witnessed firsthand an uptick in Large Loss insurance claims involving flood, windstorms, fire, hailstorms, sinkholes, and tropical storms/hurricanes due to the climate crisis.  

Claude Tankersley, Public Works Administrator for the City of St. Petersburg, Florida explained:  “The Bay is at least eight inches higher than it was back in the 1940s. And eight inches doesn’t sound like a lot, but in such a flat area as we are, eight inches can mean the difference between a street flooding every now and then, or not.”  And that’s not even the worst of it; climate change threatens Florida’s Atlantic coastline, where Miami, Palm Beach, Daytona, and Jacksonville are located, as these cities are among those that are most likely to be affected by climate change.   

Hurricane wind speeds and rainfall rates are likely to increase as the climate continues to warm, which can make insurance more expensive or difficult to obtain.  Cities, roads, railways, ports, and water supplies in Florida are vulnerable to the impacts of storms.  Coastal homes and poorly constructed infrastructure will flood more often as sea levels rise, because storm surges will become higher as well.  As a result, rising sea level is likely to increase flood insurance premiums.

We’ve seen the cost of insurance creeping up with hurricane season progressively worsening each year due to climate change.  HOA fees will likely significantly increase along with the rising cost of insurance.  In general, the laws help insurance companies but leave homeowners more vulnerable, holding policies that offer less protection or without coverage when disaster strikes.  This is why you need a property damage insurance lawyer on your side to counsel you and represent your interests when there’s a loss.  Get in touch with us by calling 813-258-4998.  

The impacts of climate change can be felt throughout Florida but what’s unique is that the climate crisis disproportionately affects low-income communities and communities of color, which have the fewest resources to recover from property damage.  Communities of color and low-income areas in Florida are disproportionately exposed to extreme climate threats, and they are more often located in or near flood-prone areas or toxic waste sites.  The systemic environmental racism that exists in Florida (and elsewhere) is inextricably linked to issues of economic inequality, environmental racism, and climate change.   Florida must invest in equitable climate infrastructure and Corless Barfield Trial Group is committed to working with these communities to help them assess insurance policy language and address insurance disputes over property damage. 

Long-term goals should include investing in resilient infrastructure, building better and stronger, stop developing in risky areas (as in the tragic case of the Surfside Condo Collapse) and get all residents on board for the changes that have to take place. The larger-scale solution is to slow down the physical effects of climate change by pumping fewer emissions into the atmosphere.  But in the here and now, if you experience any type of property damage or property loss, please call us at 813-258-4998.