Homeowner’s insurance claims rolling in after winter storm

BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) - The recent winter storm that affected thousands of families across the state is not much different from any other natural disaster in terms of what homeowners’ insurance will cover. Andre Fourrier with the Fourrier Agency says claims from the storm are steadily rolling in.

“Most of the damage we had is tree limbs falling or falling of the tree itself, falling on people’s electric services or hitting the roof or damaging the roof,” said Fourrier.

if a homeowner received any damage to their home from downed trees or limbs, he/she should be covered by homeowner’s insurance. There is also coverage for damages caused by frozen pipes that have burst.

RELATED: How to get the most home insurance help after a winter storm

“It’s a little bit different when you have a frozen pipe that ruptures; the damage the rupture cause is covered but not the fixing of that particular pipe. They normally won’t fix the pipe that bursts, but they will pay for the damage,” says Fourrier.

This means the homeowner would have to pay a plumber out of pocket to fix pipes that burst due to the freezing temperatures; any water damage that it causes is covered by insurance. However, Fourier advises to only file a claim if the cost of repairing water damages actually exceeds your deductible.”

“Take your time and really assess it because you need to check your deductibles because most people have a $1,000 deductible, and sometimes water damage is pretty cheap to fix. If you do file a claim and it’s under a $1,000 deductible, well it’s not good for your records,” advised Fourrier.

A homeowner generally has approximately-one year from the date of the damages or loss to open an insurance claim.

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