Getting through the insurance claim process can be complicated and stressful. When working with contractors and adjusters, maintaining good lines of communication at the beginning and throughout the project is essential. Setting and meeting reasonable expectations is the key to ensure your total satisfaction. Insurance claim adjusters and restoration contractors share a common goal: creating a happy customer from a job well done. Chances are, if the adjuster and contractor aren’t working well together on a particular project, the customer isn’t going to be very pleased with the end result. Based on this alone, it’s important for adjusters and contractors to cooperate, communicate and work together to ensure that the project gets done well and the details are worked out accordingly.
Use A Trusted Restoration Company
Get to know a licensed, contractor with a good reputation. You’ll want only the most reliable contractor to perform repairs on your home after it’s damaged. Seek one out before anything happens to your house. This will ensure that you get the best work possible when the time comes. A dependable contractor like Xtreme Home Improvement, will be able to make an accurate estimate, then perform the work correctly both on-schedule and on-budget.
Notify Your Insurance Company
Before filing a claim, you should read your insurance policy and once you understand your coverage, call the insurance company as soon as possible after the incident occurs to file your claim. Most policies require the homeowner to give “prompt notice” and protect your home from further damage. The claims department will assign an insurance adjuster to your case. That person will be responsible for assessing the damage and estimating the costs. The adjuster’s job is to help your insurance company determine how much will be paid out to you for replacement or repairs.
Secure the Property and Prevent Additional Damage
When you experience a disaster in your home, it’s critical to mitigate the damage as quickly as possible. Following a significant loss to a home from storms, fires, sewage backups, or other major events, restoration companies are usually the first responders. They can provide expert opinions in regards to what building components have been damaged, why they are damaged and how much they charge to repair or fix the damaged property.
If your house requires emergency mitigation services to prevent further damage, Xtreme Home Improvement crews will be at your property quickly to do a thorough inspection and perform the needed relief work. For example, if sections of your walls or ceiling are torn away, we’ll board things up, so your rooms aren’t exposed to the outside elements. If your basement has flooded, we’ll drain and dehumidify the area in an appropriate time-frame.
Our expert technicians will clean up the disaster, perform a thorough walkthrough of the property to assist in the identification of all damages, gather evidence, make a detailed assessment, and provide a written estimate to strengthen your claim. We work closely with our clients’ adjusters throughout the process in order to ensure our clients receive fair coverage for all items to which they are entitled per their insurance policies. Subsequently, our professionals will rebuild, restore or upgrade your home. Making your second call to the restoration company is an ideal way to take the stress off of yourself in this difficult situation.
Have Your Contractor at the Adjuster’s Meeting
This is the most critical step in the entire process of repairing your home. The technicians at Xtreme Home Improvement follow widely accepted industry protocols and best practices for remediation and restoration. We are also more likely to have a greater knowledge base than an adjuster when it comes to restoration and construction. Clear communication based on reasonable expectations while following standard industry restoration guidelines will create satisfied customers for the adjuster and restorer. Following these same guidelines will prevent most jobs from going bad.
Two pairs of eyes are always better than one. Even the most experienced and thorough adjuster can miss something. Your contractor will have completed a pre-inspection of your property in order to ensure that any damage is pointed out to the adjuster during the inspection. Catching all of the damage up-front, at your property, saves from the headache of back and forth communications later and possibly having to wait for a second inspection.
The contractor and adjuster will discuss and agree on the necessary repairs. It is the adjuster’s job to write up the scope of repairs for your property, but it is your contractor who really knows what it will take to get the repairs completed. Having them work together initially can save numerous time consuming phone calls and meetings later.
Cooperation Equals Success
Getting your property, repaired, and paid for is a lot to deal with and requires cooperation from all parties involved. Your adjuster should make every effort to further your claim without delay and arrive at a decent conclusion within a reasonable time. That depends a lot on your cooperation. When making a property damage claim, part of your cooperation is finding a professional restoration company to provide your adjuster with reiable information. Your adjuster needs confidence that your contractor will perform properly and be a team player. Cooperation between you, the contractor and the adjuster is the surest way to reach the goal of a successful recovery.
Xtreme Home Improvement has been through countless disasters and our professionals understand the insurance claims process comprehensively. We promise to put our knowledge and expertise to work on your behalf. You can count on us to be a consistent, friendly and honest partner in the process.