If property damage occurs to your house or place of business, you might find it difficult to get the money you need to make repairs. Getting your insurer to cover the cost of replacing or repairing damaged property or to hold a culpable party accountable for the harm they did can be difficult at times. This process can be considerably more easily handled by working with a property damage lawyer. To find out more about when and how to contact a property damage lawyer for a car accident, a residential accident, or any other type of accident, keep reading.
What Is Property Damage?
When anything breaks or is damaged, you have property damage. The damage the property receives causes it to lose part of its monetary worth and/or functionality. Physical harm and property damage are not the same thing. When you or someone else sustains physical harm, it is called a bodily injury.
A single occurrence frequently results in both property damage and bodily harm. For instance, you can sustain bodily harm in addition to your car being damaged in an automobile accident.
Types of Claims Property Damage Lawyers Can Manage
You can avoid having to pay out of pocket to have your home restored by working with an expert property damage lawyer. You may be able to get compensation for the following kinds of property losses:
Wind-related Damage
Winds above 50 to 60 miles per hour are likely to inflict damage on trees and buildings that are vulnerable, according to the NOAA National Severe Storms Laboratory. At 80-mph gusts, even well-anchored mobile homes could be vulnerable.
In the United States, wind damage and strong winds are reported in more than half of all severe weather reports each year. Although hurricanes and other storms can also deliver high winds, most happen during powerful thunderstorms. The home insurance policy covers wind damage. More than 40% of house insurance claims involve wind damage.
Water Damage
You should be aware of the differences between flood and water damage before making an insurance claim and getting paid. Water damage can arise from various sources, such as burst pipes, frozen pipes, roof leaks, or other openings that let water enter the house. Walls, appliances, flooring, and personal goods may sustain damage as a result of this.
It occasionally happens in conjunction with other kinds of damage to residential property. For instance, the wind brings trees down onto the roof. This creates a big hole, which homeowners cover safely with a tarp before the rain starts to pour in.
Hail Damage
Large hail is capable of seriously damaging property. It can obliterate roof and siding components, putting the building at risk of more wind and rain damage. Policyholders pay billions of dollars in covered losses and repair expenses as a result of wind and hail damage. This implies that, after a significant hailstorm, some people will probably need to submit an insurance claim.
Usually, hail happens during thunderstorms. Although the NOAA notes that big hail frequently occurs in Nebraska, Colorado, and Wyoming, under the correct circumstances, it can occur practically anywhere thunderstorms form.
Tornado Injuries
In all 50 states, tornadoes have the potential to occur. They are more common in certain places than others, depending on the season. There is a good chance that towns will be harmed by these feared storms, possibly even irreparably damaged.
Tornado damage may cause:
- Fallen trees
- Damage to the roof
- Shattered glass
- Destruction of outbuildings such as sheds and barns
- Raising buildings off of their foundations
- Complete demolishment of mobile homes
Generally speaking, a tornado’s devastation increases with its wind speed. To determine wind speeds and assign a tornado rating on the Enhanced Fujita Scale, the National Weather Service makes use of the observed damage. This is the source of the EF rating that you hear.
Damage from Trespassers
Uninvited visitors may do something to your home that could require you to pay for repairs. This could involve purposeful property destruction caused by theft, vandalism, or other acts. Additionally, your homeowners’ insurance policy covers these damages.
Car Accident Damage
As strange as it may seem, careless drivers are to blame for losses to some homes. When this happens, the driver either loses control of the car or gets into another situation that results in a collision with a house, shed, fence, or other structure. Car accident property damage should typically be covered by the at-fault driver’s motor insurance coverage.
Hurricane Damage
Wind, water, flooding, and other factors damage homes and outbuildings during hurricanes. Several losses combined may necessitate costly restorations. Your insurance coverage, carrier policies, and the kinds of damage you sustained will all play a role in your storm damage claim. Not every insurance provider functions in the same manner.
Certain insurers impose an additional deductible on claims about hurricanes. Furthermore, some only cover floods caused by storm surges, not water damage. It might be a good idea to check your coverage before you have to claim if you reside in a hurricane-prone area.
Flood Damage
Storms such as hurricanes or intense rainfall can cause flood damage. Storm surges could pose a threat to coastal residents during hurricanes. Making sure your insurance covers flooding is crucial.
Homeowners insurance often does not cover flood damage. Damage from flooding can occur to walls, floors, appliances, and personal belongings. It can be important to replace, repair, and remediate every aspect of a home’s ground floor.
Earthquake Damage
Insurance companies frequently do not cover earthquake damage, similar to flooding. Extreme structural damage and collapse can result from earthquakes. Natural gas leaks are another frequent source of fires following earthquakes. Even very mild earthquakes can cause significant damage, especially in locations that are not prepared for them. The majority of the country does not build to these seismic requirements, despite the West Coast having strict building regulations for contemporary buildings.
Lawyer Property Damage: FAQs
Which three categories of damages are there?
Compensation, nominal, and punitive damages are the three main categories of damages that serve as the basis for the majority of civil actions.
What is harm done to another person’s property?
Most homeowner’s insurance policies cover damage to other people’s property. It includes coverage for property damage as well as liability, or the legal obligation, for any physical harm or property damage that policyholders or their family members cause to third parties. Damage from household pets is also covered.
What is the meaning of personal damages?
Compensation for harm caused by another party may be awarded to aggrieved parties in the form of monetary awards known as personal injury damages. The injuries that the victim of this harm received are also referred to as “damages.”
What do general damages mean?
For losses that are difficult to measure, general damages—also referred to as non-economic damages—are granted. For instance, physical pain, emotional misery, and mental anguish experienced by the injured party are all examples of pain and suffering.
Lawyer Property Damage: Conclusion
Many choose to manage their property damage claims, which can be difficult and time-consuming. Complex claims can be particularly challenging to prepare, file, and support. This can happen if you have to file several claims, such as those against your flood and homeowner’s insurance policies.
As your attorney works to secure the funds required for repairs, you should concentrate on returning your life to normal and attending to any other essential matters. Not every obstacle in the claims procedure needs to be overcome by you alone.
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