GREEN COUNTRY, Okla. — As massive wildfires destroy hundreds of homes and vehicles across Oklahoma, the influx of insurance claims is significant.
Lily Moser lost her home and family vehicles when flames tore through Mannford Mar 14. She plans to use her insurance to get her family back on its feet.
"We never really thought That we would ever have to use it," she told 2 News. Now, she's relieved to have it.
In the wake of a natural disaster filing claims can feel stressful. To help we've complied some do's and don'ts.
Car Claims Made Easy
The easiest claims to file are for vehicles. Comprehensive insurance covers losses due to fire, theft, and vandalism. Wildfire falls under the "fire" category. To file a claim, contact your insurance carrier or submit the claim online. You will receive the actual cash value of your vehicle, minus your deductible.
However, there is a catch for those with newer or leased vehicles. If you owe more on the vehicle loan than the cash value, you are responsible for the difference. Gap insurance can cover this, but without it, the difference in the owed to the bank and what insurance will pay will come out of your pocket.
Home Insurance Coverage
Homeowners' policies typically include coverage for personal property, which includes items like TVs, clothes, personal items and furniture. This coverage usually equals about 50% of your dwelling coverage, meaning you won’t likely receive a payout higher than that amount.
Insurance Market Changes
Be aware that some insurance carriers are beginning to limit coverage for wildfires as the risk increases. Farmers Insurance is the first in Oklahoma to do so. Oklahoma's Insurance Commissioner, Glen Mulready told 2 News Farmer's alerted OID between four and six months ago that it would not renew 1,700 homeowner policies primarily in eastern Oklahoma next year due to increased risk of wildfire —a move affecting nearly 2% of all policies in the state. Mulready added, affected homeowners receive plenty of notification if they are being dropped so hey can secure other coverage.
Cautions When Filing Claims
Shannon Martin, a Bankrate financial analyst and former insurance agent for 16 years, advises caution when filing claims. Many people, including lawyers may offer assistance in filing lawsuits to allegedly expedite claim payments, but Martin wants people to be aware that's not how the insurance process works. She advises your first step should always be to contact your insurance carrier to set up your claim.
If your payout seems insufficient, pr the process seems to be taking too long, she says that's when you may want to consider consulting a lawyer.
Martin adds, involving attorneys prematurely can complicate the process and put you at risk receiving less to help you rebuild.
The Oklahoma Insurance Department can provide additional information to help you understand the process and what your rights are if you believe you have a problem with your insurance claims.
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