1. Make sure your home is secure and mitigate your damage. We recommend you take photos of the loss.
2. Make a detailed list of all damaged or destroyed personal property. Do not throw out damaged property until you have met with an adjuster. It is your responsibility to protect your property from further damage.
3. In the event you have holes in your roof, walls, or broken windows, you should make arrangements to secure the structure and prevent further damage. Obtain and present incurred “emergency repair” expenses to your adjuster. It may be necessary to obtain the assistance of a contractor or handyman.
4. If a tree is laying on your roof, or any structure on the property, it is your responsibility to arrange for the tree to be removed. We do request the tree be removed from the structure prior to the inspection. Contractors or tree trimming companies can remove trees from roofs. Your policy provides coverage for the actual cost to remove the tree from the covered structure and lay it on the ground. Once the tree debris is on the ground, the Homeowner’s policy limit for tree debris removal is $500 per tree with a maximum payable limit of $1000.00 which includes any stump grinding.
5. Please save any invoices/receipts and present those to the adjuster.

Please be aware that following a storm, salespeople for out-of-town contractors may knock on your door asking to inspect your property for storm damage. We caution you not to sign any agreements, including agreements allowing the inspection of your property, prior to our inspection of the property as these agreements could bind you to uncovered repairs or to specific contractors. These contracts may include hidden penalty clauses that obligate you to pay the contractor even if you use a different contractor for the repairs, they may not specify a price for the repair work, or may include an assignment of your policy benefits to the contractor. If you do decide to use the contractor, you can sign the contract after receiving the estimate from Western National. A reputable contractor should not pressure you into signing an agreement before receiving the insurer’s estimate.

Once your claim is reported to Western National Insurance, you will be contacted by an adjuster. If your home requires inspection, we will assign a field adjuster who will contact your directly to schedule an appointment.

We are working as quickly as possible to address and inspect all the claims. You should hear from an adjuster within 48 hours. The field adjuster will schedule an appointment directly with you. If you have not been contacted by your field adjuster within 48 hours, please contact our office. The date of your inspection depends on the schedule of the field adjuster and your availability, so it is important you work with the field adjuster directly.

The inspection is between you, the insured, and the field adjuster.

The field adjuster will inspect your property and take photographs of the damage. We recommend you point out any areas of concern you have such as damage to the exterior or interior of your home, or any other structures such as fences, sheds, or damage to personal property.

Please provide the field adjuster with any receipts, invoices, or additional information that is pertinent to your claim.

The adjuster will inspect your property and compile a report which includes the photos that were taken and an estimate to complete the repairs. That report will be submitted to Western National, and it will be reviewed in the order it is received. Once reviewed, you will be contacted to discuss the findings of the inspection. We will provide you with a breakdown of the payment along with a copy of the adjuster’s estimate. Claim payments and associated paperwork will arrive separately.

Response times will vary with claim volume/catastrophe events.

We recommend you take time to review the paperwork in full and then, should you have additional questions, reach out to the Western National adjuster.

We are working as quickly as possible to process your claim. We hope to process your report within 7 days of receipt, however, during catastrophes response times will vary. Claims are being processed in the order that they are received. We can issue checks by mail or process your payment as an EFT to speed delivery. If you choose to receive an electronic payment, you will receive an email from our payment vendor One, Inc., with instructions on how to provide a routing and account number. The initial EFT will take 3 - 4 days to process but future payments will process more quickly. If you choose to receive a physical check, please allow 7 days for processing and mailing after the payment is issued.

We are required to include the mortgage company on payments for real property such as your dwelling and outbuildings. Each mortgage company handles endorsement of checks different. It is important you reach out to them directly to find out about their specific endorsement procedures. The electronic payment option often speeds up the mortgage company approval process.

This policy is a contract between you and Western National Insurance. Western National requests communication from your contractor be completed through you, the policyholder.

First, an estimate is just that – an estimate. We do our best to include all the damage in our report, but occasionally, there are differences in the price or the scope of the repairs. We will provide you a copy of our estimate of repair. You are responsible for hiring a contractor of your choice. It may be advisable for you to obtain several contractors estimates to compare to our estimate. You may provide a copy of our adjuster’s estimate to your contractor.

If you or your contractor disagree with any of the allowed repair/replacement figures, you must notify our office immediately as any repair of damages and estimated amounts not listed in our estimate require prior approval. The approval must be obtained before repairs are started.

Recoverable depreciation is taken initially if you have replacement cost coverage on your policy. You may make a claim for the withheld depreciation once the repairs are complete. The depreciation applied is calculated based upon the type, age, and life expectancy of the material being replaced. We require a final invoice for repairs showing the amount it cost to complete the repairs or replace the property.

You may receive a resolved claim survey after the initial payment. This does not mean your claim is closed or that a holdback claim will not be honored.

Please email pc.claims@wnins.com. It is important that you include only your 10-digit claim number in the subject line to ensure it gets to your file promptly.

You can also fax information to (952) 921-3153.

Mail:
Western National Insurance
4700 West 77th Street
Edina, MN 55435-4818
***Please include your claim number on any documentation that is sent in.