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Legal concerns after back-to-back hurricanes
Briona Arradondo reports
TAMPA, Fla. - Hurricanes Helene and Milton keep throwing punches long after wrecking parts of Tampa Bay, and some Hillsborough County attorneys are fielding calls from locals about insurance company problems.
"Mostly a lot of claims about lack of communication, either a homeowner is not getting communication, or a tenant is not getting any responses from their landlord about issues that impact their homes," said Amber Inman, an attorney with Kampf Inman and Associates in Tampa.
Storm debris on the sidewalks of a Tampa street.
If residents are in the middle of repairs and waiting for responses from their insurance, experts with the Insurance Information Institute said to give them time.
READ MORE: Inside St. Pete's efforts to remove debris from Hurricanes Helene, Milton
"What I can tell you is there are steps in the process that all insurers have to follow. There are state regulations," said Mark Friedlander, the Florida spokesperson for the Insurance Information Institute.
If your calls or emails are being ignored, Inman said it may be helpful to hire a lawyer.
It wasn’t just homes impacted. The storms also didn’t spare some apartment buildings.
Tampa street underwater after hurricane.
"The only thing you control as a renter is your own unit, your own apartment, for example. And that's why it's so important to have renter’s insurance," said Friedlander.
And renters are speaking up.
"There haven’t been repairs. They’re now losing valuable time to either find new housing or access their home and try to mitigate damage and retrieve their personal items," said Inman about renters she’s answered calls from in the Hillsborough County area.
Attorneys said renters can leave a lease if an apartment isn’t livable, and landlords must secure their properties.
"Landlords need to be communicating with their tenants as to the status of any repairs or anticipating timelines for repairs. Tenants need to communicate with their landlord on their intent to stay or to go," said Inman.
READ MORE: Rays stadium deal: What’s next for the team and local leaders after a roller-coaster week?
Help is out there. Inman recommends reaching out to FEMA if you have issues or another resource.
Disaster.gov's homepage, where people in need can request FEMA assistance.
"The second [resource] is the Hillsborough County Bar Association’s Young Lawyers Division does have a disaster hotline," said Inman. "There are lawyers that are ready, willing, and available to provide free legal services if they have issues with the impact of the hurricanes."
If you have any contractor paperwork, the attorney said it’s important to read through it and get a lawyer to review it if necessary before you sign.
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