Property Manager EditionCommercial & Multi-Family Guide
Hurricane checklist · First 72 hours after landfall
Top 5 things property managers must doIn the 72 hours after a hurricane
The storm has passed. Crews are scarce, residents want answers and the carrier’s adjuster is on the way. What you do in the first 72 hours decides how your property, and your insurance claim, recover. These are the five things to get right.
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The hurricane checklist
Five high-impact steps for the first 72 hours after landfall. Tap a number to tick it off as you go.
Hurricane already hit?
0 of 5 done
Hours 0–24
Make the site safe and take control
Before any claim work starts, protect people and get control of the property. Decide who is in charge, who speaks for the property, and how everyone reaches you.
- Account for every resident, tenant and staff member, and keep a list of who is on-site and who has evacuated
- Keep everyone out of buildings with structural damage, downed lines, gas odors or standing water until officials or a qualified professional clear them
- Shut off power, gas and water to damaged areas if it’s safe, and fence or tape off hazards
- Arrange security for vacant or open buildings to prevent theft and further damage
- Send owners, tenants and residents one written update: what happened, what’s being done, who the single point of contact is, and how to report damage to their unit
- Start a storm log today: dates, times, decisions, who you called and what they said
Watch out: Residents and staff often start cleaning up on their own. Ask everyone to hold off on anything beyond staying safe until the damage is documented.
Hours 0–48
Document the damage before anything is cleaned or repaired
Photos, video and a written log are the foundation of the insurance claim. Capture the damage exactly as you found it, building by building and unit by unit.
- Walk every building in the same order: roof, exterior, common areas, mechanical and electrical rooms, elevators, parking, then every unit
- Take date-stamped photos and video, wide shots for context and close-ups for detail, and narrate the video with the building and unit number
- Get roof photos (or drone footage) where it’s safe; roof damage often isn’t visible from the ground
- Measure and photograph flood water lines on walls, doors and equipment: wind damage and flood damage are often covered by different policies
- Keep a unit-by-unit damage log (unit, rooms affected, type of damage, moisture readings, who reported it), including units no one has reported yet
- Save samples of damaged materials (shingles, tile, drywall, flooring) and back up every file to cloud storage
Watch out: Once it’s torn out and hauled away, it’s gone. The carrier can’t pay for damage nobody can prove was there.
Hours 0–72
Stop further damage and dry the buildings out
Most policies require you to protect the property from more damage, and in hurricane country mold can start growing within 24 to 48 hours. Mitigation should be underway well before the 72-hour mark.
- Tarp roofs and board up broken windows and doors; keep repairs temporary until the claim is documented
- Start water extraction, dehumidifiers and air movers in every wet building and unit
- Have the mitigation company keep daily moisture readings and photos, and get those logs in writing
- Get a written scope and pricing before work starts, and keep every invoice, receipt and contract
- Photograph each area before and after emergency work
- Track the costs beyond repairs: staff overtime, resident relocation, and units that are vacant or uninhabitable (lost rent)
Watch out: Read mitigation and contractor paperwork before signing. Some contracts include assignment-of-benefits or direct-payment language that gives the vendor rights in your insurance claim.
Hours 24–72
Report the loss to every carrier and know your policy
Notify each insurer promptly and in writing. On hurricane losses, wind or property coverage and flood coverage are often with different companies, each with its own rules and deadlines.
- Report to every policy that may apply: property or wind, flood (NFIP or private), and any business income or equipment coverage
- Get a claim number for each policy and list every affected building, not just the worst one
- Follow up every phone report in writing (email is fine), and log who you spoke to, when, and what they asked for
- Request a complete copy of each policy, not just the declarations page
- Find the named-storm or hurricane deductible (often a percentage of the insured value), plus ordinance or law, loss of rents and any sublimits
- Write down every deadline: proof of loss (flood policies can be as short as 60 days), inspections and disputes
Watch out: On the first call, stick to the facts: what happened, where and when. Avoid guessing about the cause or the full extent of the damage before it has been assessed.
Before the carrier inspects
Get your own experts on the claim
The insurance company will send its adjuster, and on large losses often its own engineer, to decide what caused the damage and what it will cost. They work for the insurance company. Have your own team document the loss first.
- Bring in a licensed public adjuster to document the full scope, prepare the claim and negotiate it on your behalf
- Have your public adjuster meet the carrier’s adjuster and engineer on-site with you
- Use independent engineers for the roof, structure and building envelope when cause or scope is in question
- Get a certified weather report for wind speeds and timing at your address
- Don’t accept a first offer or sign a release before the full scope of damage is known
- Statewide reviews your claim at no upfront cost
Watch out: The first inspection often sets the tone for the whole claim. Damage that isn’t pointed out and documented that day is easy to leave out of the carrier’s estimate.
General guidance, not legal advice. Your policy’s terms and deadlines control. Statewide Claim Services, LLC · Licensed public adjusters · (850) 750-7536
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Built for multi-building claims
Apartment communities, office and retail centers, and mixed-use portfolios.
One team, one point of contact
15+ adjusters, so you and your owners aren’t chasing updates.
Experts on call
Engineers, forensic experts and certified weather reports when the carrier pushes back.
We meet the carrier for you
We document the loss, file the claim and negotiate the settlement.
Request a claim review
Tell us what happened. A licensed public adjuster will call you back to talk through your policy, your loss and where your claim stands. There’s no upfront cost to review your claim.
Rather talk now?(850) 750-7536Good to have handy
- Your policy number, and the claim number if you have one
- Photos or video of the damage
- Any letters, estimates or offers from the carrier
Don’t have them yet? Send the form anyway.
Our fee is a percentage of what we recover, set out in your contract and capped by your state’s law. No upfront cost to review your claim.