Flood claims: a different policy, different rules

Flood — rising water from outside — is not covered by standard homeowners insurance. It requires a separate NFIP or private flood policy, with its own deadlines, its own proof-of-loss form, and stricter timelines than homeowners claims.

Two claims, two adjusters

If you have both a wind and a flood claim from one storm, they run as two separate claims with two adjusters. The documentation of how water entered — covered wind opening versus excluded rising water — decides which policy pays what. This is why first-day photos documenting the sequence of damage matter so much.

The proof-of-loss deadline

NFIP claims carry a strict proof-of-loss deadline. Missing it can kill a valid claim on paperwork alone. Calendar that date before anything else — it's in your policy and in the adjuster's correspondence. Check your policy documents or call your carrier to confirm the exact deadline.

Public adjusters and flood claims

Public adjusters can represent policyholders on flood claims. NFIP claims may limit what fees the federal program recognizes and run on federal rules that differ from state insurance law. Check both your state's fee cap and the NFIP program rules.

What the registry can tell you

Search for adjusters who list flood claims in your state. In Florida, where flood and hurricane wind commonly overlap, the registry lists 3,768 licensed public adjusters from DFS records. The fee calculator shows your state's statutory maximum.

Sources

• NFIP program: fema.gov/flood-insurance
• FL adjuster count: DFS bulk download, fetched from the registry's own roster

Related

• Commercial and business interruption claims
• Fire and smoke claims: the inventory is the claim
• Hail claims: the invisible-damage dispute