Get claim ready before monsoon season.

1Before the storms

• Photograph your home now. Every side of the outside, the roof if you can see it safely, fences, pool equipment, and every room inside with closets and cabinets open. Dated photos make a claim faster.
• Make a home inventory. Room by room: the bigger items, what you paid, and about when. Keep receipts for electronics and appliances and write down serial numbers. The table below gets you started.
• Store it somewhere else. Email it to yourself or save it to cloud storage, so it survives whatever happens to the house.
• Know your wind and hail deductible in dollars. Many Arizona home policies have a separate wind and hail deductible, and some are a percentage of the dwelling limit. Two percent of $400,000 is $8,000.
• Get the yard ready. Trim trees near the house, clear gutters and downspouts, and tie down or bring in patio furniture.

2What a home policy usually covers, and what it doesn't

• Wind and hail: usually covered, after your deductible. Some policies pay older roofs at actual cash value, which is the depreciated value of the roof.
• Flood: rising water and flash flooding are left out of home policies. Flood insurance is a separate policy, and most new flood policies have a 30 day waiting period, so buy it before the season.
• Water backup: a sewer or drain that backs up into the house usually needs its own endorsement.
• Fallen trees: usually covered when a tree hits the house. Removing a tree that only fell in the yard is often limited.
• Mold: often limited, and usually tied to a covered water loss you reported quickly.

Every policy is different. Your declarations page and policy decide what is covered.

3After a storm

• Stay safe first. Keep away from downed power lines and standing water.
• Stop more damage. Tarp the roof, board a window, and move belongings away from water. Keep the receipts; reasonable steps to protect the home are often reimbursed.
• Photograph everything before you clean up.
• Report it promptly. Call your insurance company, or us. Most policies require prompt notice of a loss.
• Keep damaged items until the adjuster has seen them, unless they're a safety hazard.
• Watch out for storm chasers. Get written estimates, don't sign over your claim, and don't pay a large deposit up front.

4Home inventory