Understanding Insurance Restoration

Your Assessment of  Damage Severity

An important point regarding your insurance policy coverage is that after a loss, it is your obligation to prevent further damage from occurring. Therefore, report your claim promptly, contact an experienced insurance restoration contractor, and keep track of emergency expenditures. Building Renewal, Inc. can be instrumental in helping you stop damages from getting worse. We will make the temporary repairs needed to protect your rights under your insurance policy, in most cases the cost of these repairs is covered by your insurance policy. In emergency situations temporary repairs can begin immediately. Call us for 24 HR on-call emergency service.

Free Damage Inspection

If an emergency repair is not required, we will schedule a convenient time to complete a FREE damage inspection on your property.

Sometimes property owners fail to file a claim because they do not recognize the signs of damage. You only have a limited amount of time for damages to be covered by your insurance; if you delay too long there may be no coverage for the loss. We will perform a complete inspection of the affected areas with concern for both visible and hidden damage. You are then provided a written report documenting our findings. Do not risk loss of coverage for future damage resulting from a mistake in judgment by your insurance adjuster or by not filing a claim!

File an Insurance Claim

Filing a claim with your insurance company is the only part of the insurance process we cannot complete for you. You will need to call your insurance company to inform them you have damage to your home and initiate a claim. If you prefer, we can make that phone call together. If your damage is not major (you can still occupy your home), you will be assigned a claim number and an adjuster. After the initial property claim has been made, we can assist you going forward.

Note: Your insurance agent, company, or adjuster may ask you to get three estimates for the work to be performed. It is not your obligation to get multiple estimates; it is your obligation to choose your contractor. Your insurance company will work directly with us to arrive at a fair price for the work to be performed. We use Xactimate, an insurance industry standard estimating program to determine the cost of the work.

Adjuster Contact and  Meeting

Typically, with-in a few days of filing your claim, you will receive a call from the adjuster assigned to your claim. The adjuster will be calling to schedule an Adjuster Appointment to come to your home and view the damages. Let your adjuster know you have chosen a contactor to do your work and that you want your contractor present during the property inspection. It is important that we are at the adjusters meeting to help the adjuster make a more accurate assessment of damages.

Please ask for these three important items:

1.         Time and Date of Appointment; Set the appointment at least three business days after the date the adjuster contacts you. If your home has sustained major damage (you cannot occupy your home) we will be there whenever the adjuster is available.

2.         Adjuster’s Full Name.

3.         Adjuster’s Mobile Phone Number.

With a three-day allowance we can adjust our schedule to meet the appointment. If we cannot adjust our schedule we have the information needed to reset an appointment with your assigned adjuster.

We recommend that the owner try to be present for the appointment, especially if there are items of personal property damage included in the loss. However, if it is inconvenient, your attendance is not required; with your authorization we can handle the meeting for you.

The Insurance Estimate and Mortgage Company

Upon approval of the adjuster’s estimate, your insurance company will write you a check for approximately half of the total cost of the project. With that first check you will receive a line-item estimate which details each step in the restoration process and provides the precise cost for these steps. The estimated total replacement cost is the exact cost to repair your property.

After you receive the first check and insurance estimate, please call us to schedule a time to meet with you. We will review the estimate together so that you have a complete understanding of the work to be performed and the associated costs. We will make a copy of all the paperwork received from the insurance company (or you can provide it to us). In some cases your mortgage company may also be included on the insurance check. If so, we are able to assist you in the process of getting the money released from your mortgage company so the work can begin.

If there are any discrepancies on the estimate due to missed items, improper pricing, or other oversights, we will negotiate the cost of the work with your insurance company to an agreed amount.

Once the negotiation process has been completed, the insurance company will release a supplemental check to cover the additional amounts they have agreed to. By completing this step before work begins, you are guaranteed that there will be no surprises. Everyone will understand what work is to be done and the cost of that work. Your out of pocket expense, regardless of the amount of damages, is your policy deductible; think of it as your co-pay similar to health insurance.

State law and the insurance companies require property owners to pay their deductible.

Your deductible, along with the replacement cost payments received from your insurance company, will be the total cost of the work to be completed.

Schedule Repairs and Preparing for Construction

After we are in agreement with the insurance company and the first check you received with the insurance estimate is ready for deposit, we will schedule a Pre-Construction Meeting. At this meeting we will complete a final review of the work to be performed, help you choose materials and colors, and decide on a beginning construction date. At this time you will give Building Renewal, Inc. your first payment to begin construction. This will be the first time any money is due. We will also discuss items like dumpster placement, materials delivery, preparing for construction, and things to be aware of during construction. Our goal is to have you prepared with reasonable expectations regarding the process of repairing your home. Many jobs require a Building Permit which we will secure and the insurance company will pay for.

Final Inspection

After the work and any required building permit inspections are completed, we will schedule a post-construction meeting. Together, we will complete an inspection of your home and property to ensure the work completed meets your satisfaction and Building Renewal, Inc. standards.

A final invoice will be sent to your insurance company, on your behalf, for the total agreed amount of the work performed. When you receive final payment from your insurance company, we will come to your home to pick up the payment.

Insurance Restoration