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How to Manage Damage to Your Home
Dealing with the damage and insurance company after disaster strikes
Disasters are never something that we want to happen. Unfortunately, they do happen, and it is generally before we have prepared for them. There are many different causes of the damage to your home, mold, water, fire, natural disaster, or a combination of more than one. Most people are going to turn to their insurance company and a restoration company to assist them get back on their feet after a disaster. That is exactly what we are going to discuss in this article, how to manage the aftermath of the disaster so that you can return to a normal life as quickly and painlessly as possible.
Prepare Ahead of Time
Disasters can strike at any time, which is why you need to be prepared ahead of time. If you are unsure of what kind of preventive maintenance needs to be done, you can hire a home inspector to come and inspect your home. They will look over your home from top to bottom and give you a list of all the things that you should fix before they become an issue. But what if it is something you cannot prevent, what if it is a natural disaster? You may not always be able to protect your home from damage, but something you can do to make your future insurance claim as painless as possible by keeping a household inventory
A household inventory is a list of all the important and valuable things in your home. Walk through your home room by room, take pictures of valuables, record brand names, model numbers, serial numbers, and any other relevant information. Gather up copies of your insurance policies, loan payment books, employee benefit paperwork, bank account information, health records and any other important documents. These should be kept in a waterproof container in a safe location outside of your home, at your lawyer’s office, or at a family member’s home.
Respond to the Emergency
The unthinkable has happened, and your home has sustained damage. Now what do you do? The first thing to do is respond to the emergency. This is going to look differently depending on what type of emergency you are dealing with, but here are some examples of emergencies and how you should begin to manage them.
Fire- Make sure that all family members are accounted for outside in a safe area and call 911 as soon as you can. Getting the fire put out as quickly as possible is crucial if there is any hope of saving your home. You may feel the need to try and reenter your home to save your personal belongings from the fire, but do not do this. Going back into the home before the firefighters inform you it is safe is extremely dangerous, your belongings are not worth risking your life.
Water- If water is entering your home from a busted water line, turn the water off as quickly as you can. If it is a natural disaster flood, then make sure all family members are accounted for and in a safe location, and then call 911 if you are in immediate danger. If your home is actively being flooded go to the highest floor or the roof if necessary and avoid the water if possible.
Crime- If a crime has been committed which caused damage to your home, call 911 immediately and assure that all family members are accounted for and safe.
Asses the Damages
Once the emergency services have finished doing their jobs it is time to look at how bad the damage is. Make sure that your home is safe and structurally sound before entering. If it is not safe DO NOT ENTER, the safety of you and your family comes first. There will be time to gather your belongings from inside the home later.
You will need to get a general idea of the type and extent of damage that has been done to your home. Having this information when you first call will be a benefit to the restoration company and will help the process move along faster. Here are a few examples of the type of details that will be helpful. What type of damage occurred? (Fire, flood, water, sewage, trauma) Where is the damage located? Is the interior of your home vulnerable to the elements, such as broken windows, doors, roof damage, anything that will let the elements enter your home?
It is helpful to take photographs at this point. This will benefit you with your insurance claim and help to keep a record of the process. If you for some reason are unable to take photos, the restoration company will document the process as well.
You may be inclined to clean while inspecting the damage to your home. It is quite common for people to want to start cleaning up the damage while they gather their things but do your best to not clean anything. Cleaning up can cause issues for you because if the damage does not appear significant enough after you have cleaned, the insurance company may reduce your pay out or even deny your claim entirely. It is always best to let the restoration company and insurance adjuster look over the damage before you do anything.
Call Your Local Restoration Company First
Call your preferred restoration company before you call your insurance company. Most people think that you must call your insurance provider first, but that is not the case. Once the restoration company inspects the damage, they will be able to give you an estimate and recommend if you should pursue insurance or not. Depending on the extent of the damage it may be cheaper to pay the restoration company directly rather than paying your insurance deductible. A high-quality company will be able to oversee the process from here. They will document the damage, get estimates, and deal with the insurance company,
It is common for insurance companies to pressure homeowners into using a restoration company that they recommend. This happens for multiple reasons, most commonly the insurance company has negotiated cheaper rates with that specific company. You are legally allowed to choose whichever company you prefer. So, calling a restoration company before your insurance company will assure that you have the restoration company you want, not just the least expensive company.
Time to Call Your Insurance Company
A good restoration company will offer 24/7 emergency calls, which means that you should be able to have your preferred restoration company inspect the damage to your home and still be able to reach out to your insurance company within the same day. If you are going to file an insurance claim it is important to talk with the company as soon as possible.
The insurance company will not want to pay full repair price for any of the damages. They will want to pay you what the items are worth to replace, and then subtract the depreciation of those items. This is another reason it is such a good idea to have a quality restoration team on your side, they will help negotiate a fair price to get your home back to normal. The insurance may consider what type of damage took place and will reimburse you for things like food and lodging if you are unable to stay in the home.
The Cleaning Starts
This will be where your restoration company gets started. They will get your home cleaned, stopping the progression of any further damage and begin the repair process. They will also be taking photos and drafting reports that will be used for evidence within your insurance claim.
During the cleaning process there are potential health risks at every turn, mold spores, breathing in smoke residue, contaminated items, and more. It is important that you have professionals manage this part. They can remove all the damage safely and clean your home back to a livable condition once more without you risking your own health and wellness.
The Insurance Adjuster
Your insurance company will send out an adjuster to assess the damages and put together a price that they feel is enough to cover the damages. The adjuster will need to inspect the property, take photos, examine all evidence gathered, look at police reports, and more. This is another great time to have a quality restoration company on your side. They will put together their own price of what they feel it will cost to restore your home to pre-disaster condition. Usually, the two companies will negotiate somewhere in the middle of these two numbers.
Collect Your Money
Depending on the insurance company this can be done in one of several different ways. If there is money owed on the property, they may pay out with a check to you and the financial institution that holds your mortgage. They may send you a check directly. Or they may pay the restoration company directly and pay out separately for whatever else is needed.
Finally, the End
Now it is time to restore your home to pre damage conditions. Unfortunately, you may not have gotten enough money to completely restore your home to the way it was due to depreciation. Which means that you may have to kick in some of your own money to get the job completed.
If you have hired a company like GTA Restoration, then they will have been there for you from the beginning and will be able to start the rebuild process. Depending on your situation you may be able to turn a disaster into something good. There are homeowners that will use this as an opportunity to make upgrades to their home.
This will have to come out of your pocket as the insurance company will not pay out any more to upgrade. But it is an excellent opportunity to get those nicer finishes that you have always wanted. Why struggle through the process on your own, if you are facing a disaster call a quality restoration company, one that will help you pick up the pieces and put your life back together. Call GTA Restoration today and let them restore your home.
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