What to know about home insurance after the Western Washington windstorm

A massive windstorm hit Western Washington on Tuesday night, knocking out power for some 640,000 people with gusts hitting 74 mph in the lowlands.

That wind knocked down plenty of trees, which means a large number of homeowners will be weighing whether or not to file an insurance claim for repairs. Here’s a few things to keep in mind if you count yourself among the wind-inflicted.

• Previous blog post: If someone else’s tree falls on my property, why isn’t their insurance covering it?

Before you file a claim

• If your home is damaged due to some type of natural disaster, take immediate steps to protect it and your possessions from further destruction.
• Then call your insurance company to get the claims process started as soon as possible.
• If you’re filing a claim, you need to do it in a timely manner. In most policies that’s 60 days from the inciting incident.
• Windstorms should be one of the “perils” covered under your basic home insurance policy.

What to know when you contact your insurance company

• Contact your agent or company. Review your policy with them and ask what’s covered.
• You can tell the insurance representative you do not want to file a claim and just want to know if a potential loss is covered by your policy.
• If the loss is not covered, you do not want a filed claim on your record. If you file a claim that gets denied, that could go in your claims history and negatively affect your premiums down the road, because claims history is a rating factor on home insurance.
• Ask what information your insurer needs to process your claim. Provide that information, including contact information, if you cannot live in the home.
• If the loss is due to a crime, such as a burglary, notify the police.
• Be ready to provide receipts, photos, etc. to prove your loss.
• Keep copies of everything.

What the OIC can do

• The Commissioner’s team of insurance experts are here to help you understand your insurance rights as a consumer or a policyholder and answer your questions about how insurance works.
• To talk to someone in-person call 800–562–6900.
• For online help, we offer a live chat (available 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday).

A few last things

• We’ve received a few questions so far; one, just anecdotally, was asking about a damaged fence. Our staff suggested they review their policy and deductible to make sure it was worth filing a claim; if your claim isn’t large, it could lead to a premium increase or a non-renewal down the road.
• Fraudsters often take advantage of the chaos after a disaster, so we urge consumers to verify licenses and check references before hiring contractors and others to make home repairs (you can also do that on our website).