Mississippi Policyholder Bill of Rights

Many homeowners in Mississippi experienced serious damage and losses from Hurricane Zeta. A critical part of putting the pieces back together after a natural disaster is the ability to rely on your property insurance to cover your damages. Unfortunately, many insurance companies engage in unfair or bad faith practices that leave property owners without the coverage they need and deserve.

Determining coverage for hurricane damage can be complicated. Following the mountain of claims after Hurricane Katrina, many property insurance companies began to require different types of coverage for windstorm damage, including separate deductibles for losses caused by wind and hail. Some companies even began to exclude coverage for damage caused by a “named storm.” Filing a claim is complicated and depends on the type of damage your home sustained. You might have multiple claims under one or more of the following insurance contracts:

• Homeowner’s insurance policy
• Windstorm insurance policy
• Flood insurance policy

Policyholders can experience problems with their insurance companies in the aftermath of a widespread disaster, but also when we file seemingly straightforward claims not stemming from hurricanes. To protect the rights of consumers, Mississippi law sets out certain rights of residential property insurance policyholders, in addition to those rights that are guaranteed with the terms of the insurance contracts. Those rights are set forth in the Mississippi Policyholder Bill of Rights, which by law is supposed to set forth in the text of each homeowner’s insurance policy sold in Mississippi. Additionally, there is an implied duty of good faith and fair dealing in every insurance contract.

If you believe that your policyholder rights are being violated or you are struggling with insurance claims following Hurricane Zeta, contact Christopher Van Cleave, an experienced Mississippi insurance claim attorney who will stand up for what you deserve.