Wildfires Leave Homeowners With Insurance Worries and Burden To Rebuild
The Southern California wildfires, which have been raging since Sunday, have now consumed thousands of homes. About 1 million people were asked to leave their homes. Lives have been disrupted, property ruined. When the smoke clears or even before that, homeowners will have to get started on the rebuilding process, which is bound to be long and exhausting.
Consumers must be extremely watchful and vigilant at this time so they are not exploited by unethical contractors, insurance adjusters or even attorneys who falsely claim they can help with insurance claims. I can tell you right now that people will approach you, try to take advantage of your vulnerability and try to take you for a ride – be it with your insurance claim or repairs to your home. It happened with Hurricane Katrina. It could very well happen in Southern California.
Here are some very useful tips for consumers from Jonathan Stein, a Bay Area attorney, who has extensive experience helping people affected by fires and helping them deal with insurance. Take extreme care and caution when you hire an adjuster or contractor. They need to be state licensed.
And remember, NEVER EVER sign any papers with information you don’t understand.
Here are some other resources where you can check whether the people you hire are legitimate:
State Contractor Licensing Board
California Department of Insurance
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