Have A Homeowner’s Insurance Claim? Stay Off Social Media
Social media is widely used in our society today and it has become many people’s preferred method of keeping in touch with friends, family members, and even strangers. It is not uncommon for people to share every facet of their lives on social media, especially after a major event such as a storm or fire has damaged property.
However, if you have sustained property damage and are going to file an insurance claim, it is important that you stay off social media. Anything you post will likely only hurt your claim. Below, our Daytona Beach residential and commercial property damage lawyer explains further.
Proving a Lack of Mitigation
Policyholders are usually required to try and mitigate the damage to their property after a hurricane, storm, fire, or other disaster. This means that you must make temporary repairs to prevent the damage from becoming worse. You may have to cover windows with tarps or board them up, or temporarily patch a leaking roof. If you post photos of the damage immediately afterwards, the insurance company will use these to show that you did not try to mitigate the damage.
Pre-Existing Property Damage
It is not only the posts you create after sustaining property damage, but any previous posts may hurt your claim, as well. Insurance adjusters will scour all of your photos, particularly those that show certain areas of your home, looking for damage. They use these posts to try and prove that the damage existed before an accident, so they are not liable for providing coverage.
Negligent Maintenance
As a home or business owner, you have a responsibility to make sure your property is properly maintained. If you allow certain conditions, such as a cracked foundation or leaking roof, to exist on your property, it will only result in further damage. The insurance company will comb through all of your social media posts to show that you failed to perform the proper maintenance and it was this failure that caused the damage, not another incident.
Insufficient Repairs
While property owners do have a responsibility to perform timely maintenance and repairs, they must also ensure they are done properly. Property owners sometimes take shortcuts when making certain repairs, in an effort to reduce the cost, stress, and time associated with them. Sometimes, a person may even be so proud of their makeshift attempt at repairs that they post pictures of them to social media. This is a mistake, as the insurance company will use these as evidence to show that you did not make the repairs properly and so, you do not deserve coverage.
Our Residential and Commercial Property Damage Lawyer in Daytona Beach Can Answer All of Your Questions
When filing a property damage claim, you will have many questions. At Bundza & Rodriguez, our Daytona Beach residential and commercial property damage lawyer can answer all of them to ensure you receive the sound legal advice you need. Call us today at 386-252-5170 or contact us online to schedule a consultation so we can review your case.
Source:
leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0700-0799/0768/0768.html