With 50 mile per hour winds that ripped through the county Wednesday, Ohio Department of Insurance Director Mary Jo Hudson has offered the following tips on what to do if you have suffered damage.
• Call your insurance company as soon as you can. Be sure your agent knows how to contact you.
• Take reasonable steps to prevent additional damage if permitted by public safety authorities and if you will not endanger yourself. Call your local utility to let them know of any downed power lines. DO NOT attempt to move any power lines that may have fallen on your property.
• Closely inspect property and cars for damage. Note and photograph any damage.
• If required to seek temporary housing, check your policy for "loss of use" coverage.
• Be sure everything is considered in your claim. Back up claims with written estimates.
Director Hudson also wants Ohioans to be aware of unscrupulous contractors that tend to drift state-to-state and prey on desperate people anxious to get their property repaired and lives back in order.
Consumers are encouraged to:
• Contact their insurance company to verify benefits immediately after a disaster.
• Obtain a list of reputable contractors from their insurance carrier, the Better Business Bureau or a specialized consumer organization.
• Contact multiple contractors and obtain more than one estimate.
• Request references from contractors and contact the references to verify work was completed timely and to satisfaction.
• Obtain, in writing, the terms and conditions of the project.
• Avoid signing a contract until the document is reviewed fully and/or discuss the terms of the contract with a legal representative or a trusted adviser.
• Avoid signing a contract that has not been completed fully.
• Pay contractor by check or credit card, rather than in cash.
• Refrain from paying a contractor in full, or signing a completion certificate, until all work has been finished.
• Do not provide the contractor with your personal information, such as your social security number.
• Consider hiring a public adjuster for assistance in the negotiation and/or settlement of a claim.
Ohio insurance consumers with questions and concerns about their insurance can call the Department's consumer hotline at 1-800-686-1526. Free information can also be obtained at www.insurance.ohio.gov.
