October 24, 2010 Deadline for Florida Homeowners to File Hurricane Wilma Insurance Claims Approaching

The deadline for many Florida homeowners to file insurance claims for Hurricane Wilma is approaching. The five-year anniversary of Wilma is Oct. 24, and Florida has a five-year statute of limitations to file lawsuits for property insurance claims.

For policyholders who still have damage from the hurricane, this means:

Homeowners whose claims have been denied have five years from the date of the denial to pursue the claim.

People filing a new claim must do so by Oct. 24, according to insurance attorneys. Some homeowners who filed Wilma claims in recent years said they didn't do so right after the storm because they were incorrectly told by their insurers that the damage did not meet the deductible. Still, new claims filed years after a storm "would be scrutinized ... because policyholders have some obligation of timely reporting claims," said Tom Streukens, director of operations at the Florida Insurance Guaranty Association, known as FIGA.