The Most Common Property Damage Claims in Oklahoma
You’ve worked hard to buy, care for, and maintain your property and belongings. When disaster strikes and damages your property, you may be left wondering what your next options are to get it repaired. The good news is that insurance exists to protect you and your home in times of these expected events.
Below, we discuss some common types of property damage claims in Oklahoma and how an attorney can help you seek maximum reimbursement for your losses.
Wind Damage
The state of Oklahoma gets hit with a variety of natural disasters that can lead to wind damage, including hurricanes, tornadoes, and winter storms. Heavy winds can cause debris or tree limbs to hit your roof, causing damage that may require the entire roof to be completely replaced.
Roofs built with shingles take an especially brutal beating as the wind can get under a small corner of the shingle and curl it or rip off completely, leaving your interior exposed to leaks. Another potential risk with shingles is known as “lifting”—this occurs when high winds create a suction effect and lift the shingles upwards, loosening the nails holding them down.
Such damage can compromise the overall condition of your roof, yet can remain undetected if you don’t necessarily look for it. Therefore, your roof should always be checked after periods of high winds.
Water Damage
Water is both a sustaining and destructive force of nature that can ultimately cause devastating damage to your home and other property. Most homes are full of many nooks, crannies, and openings that may allow small amounts of water to enter your home, which is all that is needed to cause damage.
Water that penetrates through the exterior of your home can lead damage to your:
- Furniture
- Insulation
- Drywall
- Roof
- Walls
- Floors
Beyond just physical damage to your property, water damage that remains untreated or undetected can lead to toxic mold, which can have serious health consequences on those living inside of the property. Additionally, untreated mold can also diminish the value of your property and cause issues when you are ready to sell your home.
Theft and Vandalism
Sadly, loss of property occurs too often not by weather or natural disasters, but by the intentional acts of other people. Being a victim of theft or vandalism can be an incredibly overwhelming experience, especially when the stolen or damaged property was invaluable to you.
It’s always recommended that you call the police immediately after you are aware of theft or vandalism to create a paper trail in the police report of what losses you had. While homeowners’ insurance will typically cover this, keeping a proper inventory of your items and property is always recommended.
The Importance of Hiring a Property Damage Claims Attorney
Most policyholders assume that their insurance will cover any damage caused by winds, water, or theft/vandalism. Unfortunately, most insurance companies will go through every reason in the book to try and deny even valid claims. For instance, the insurance company may attempt to deny a wind damage claim by arguing that the roof damage was not the result of high winds but rather the result of normal deterioration of the roof or lack of maintenance.
At Aizenman Law Group, we understand that having your property damaged can put you and your family in an incredibly difficult and stressful situation. Our Tulsa property damage claims attorneys are here to ensure that your rights as a paying policyholder are upheld and you obtain rightful reimbursement for your losses from the insurance company.
We do not charge our clients any out-of-pocket fees for our services and we also offer no-fee, no-obligation consultations, so there’s nothing stopping you from making the first step to obtaining dedicated legal representation.
Contact our Tulsa property damage claims attorneys at 631-769-8431 to speak with our legal team for free today.
