You keep the claim. We do the work.

What should you do first, in order?

1. 1. Make it safe. If anyone is hurt or the fire is still active, call 911. If you can do it safely, shut off the water and kill power to wet rooms. Do not vacuum standing water. Do not wipe soot.
2. 2. Call us to mitigate. Extraction, dry-out, mold containment, and board-up should start before the adjuster arrives. Waiting lets mold and swelling become a second loss.
3. 3. Report the claim yourself. Call the number on your policy and write down the claim number. You are the one who gives notice. We can stand next to you on that call and tell the carrier what we found.
4. 4. Keep the paperwork. We give you photos, moisture readings, drying logs, and a written scope. Share those with the adjuster. You approve the work.
5. 5. The carrier reviews it. Florida law gives the insurer 7 days to acknowledge a claim communication, and 60 days from notice to pay or deny, unless something outside the insurer’s control delays it. A physical inspection tied to a proof of loss is due within 30 days of that proof.

What did Florida change about claims?

For a residential or commercial property policy issued on or after January 1, 2023, you may not assign post-loss benefits to a restoration company. An attempt to sign the claim over is void. Aftermath will not ask you to do that.

A direction to pay is different. It only asks the insurer where to send money. It does not give us the right to settle your claim. Some carriers still issue the check to you and your lender. Read anything before you sign it.

How long do you have to report a claim?

Under Florida Statute 627.70132, a new or reopened property claim is barred unless notice reaches the insurer within 1 year after the date of loss. A supplemental claim, such as damage found later from the same event, is barred unless notice is given within 18 months. For a hurricane, tornado, windstorm, or other weather event, the date of loss is the date NOAA verifies, not the day you noticed a stain.

Those are outside limits. Report the loss as soon as you know about it. Late notice is a common reason a carrier disputes a claim.

What policies often pay, and what they do not

• Sudden pipe or supply-line breaks, and the dry-out that follows, are often covered.
• Fire, smoke, and soot from a sudden fire are often covered. Board-up is part of making the house safe.
• Wind that opens the house, and rain that comes through that opening, is often a wind claim. It may use the hurricane deductible if a named storm caused it.
• Mold that grows from a covered sudden leak may be covered only up to a mold sublimit. That limit is often far below the cost of a full remediation. We quote mold after we see it.
• A slow leak, seepage, or maintenance problem is often limited or excluded.
• Rising flood water, storm surge, and groundwater usually need a separate flood policy.
• Your deductible comes off the payment. On a hurricane claim it is often 2%, 5%, or 10% of the dwelling limit, not the few-hundred-dollar deductible on a kitchen fire.

This is how Florida claims usually work. It is not a coverage opinion on your policy. The declarations page controls.