Categories Insurance Claims

INSURANCE AGENT vs. INSURANCE ADJUSTER

Tomato/tomato, potato/patato, insurance agent/insurance adjuster: What’s the difference, right? Well contrary to popular belief more than you may think.  A insurance agent and an insurance adjuster serve very different purposes with-in the insurance industry.

Insurance Agent

A insurance agent is involved before damage occurs. They write policies for customers to protect them against the unexpected events that happen in life. (Flooded basements, fender benders, alligator attacks, you get the picture…) They review an individual’s circumstances (health, car, house, financial status, ect.) and customize coverages based on those items. A good agent should include coverages that you are at risk for, and eliminate items that don’t apply to you. For example: if you live in a flood plain you should probably carry flood insurance in your policy, if you don’t, there’s no reason to pay extra for that coverage. Insurance agents are in place to help supply you with the coverages you need for a price that is practical.  An insurance agent typically will not be involved when a claim is placed; that is when the insurance adjuster comes into the picture.

Insurance Adjuster

A insurance adjuster gets involved once damage has occurred. They are assigned to settle claims with the property owner and a water damage restoration contractor. Insurance adjusters survey the damage, write estimates, and work with the contractor to return the property to pre-loss conditions. In addition, they are also responsible for providing compensation for personal items that were damaged during the occurrence. (If your basement floods I guarantee you are at least losing one Christmas tree, maybe more…) You will often, but not always, see adjusters visit the affected property. (see inside vs. outside adjusters)

To recap, the easiest way to separate the two; agents are there to help protect you from damage, while adjusters are there to help you get compensated to clean up the damage.

 

NEED HELP WITH WATER DAMAGE? CALL (317) 315-5071

 

Author Corbin Clow
Categories Insurance Claims

Will the Insurance Company Pay for my Water Damage Claim?

Will My Insurance Company Pay for Water Damage

 

Will the Insurance Company Pay for my Water Damage Claim?  Its safe to assume that if your home experiences water damage your insurance company will take care of all of the damage right?

Don’t you remember what your parents told you about assuming? Just because you have insurance does not guarantee that you have coverage for certain types of water damage.

Most notably “water coming in through a window, wall, or door” or “drain and sump pump backups.” Also, even if you have insurance coverage it can be limited to a certain dollar amount.

“Accidental and all of a Sudden”

The insurance company will pay for a claim when they know the cause of the water damage was “accidental and all of sudden” not an ongoing maintenance issue.  For instance, if a home owner neglects a leaky pipe under a kitchen sink for a month.

Then, discovers they have significant mold damage because of the leaky pipe.  The insurance adjuster will most likely decide the water damage was caused by neglect and deny the insurance claim.

Now this can be a gray area for some water damage situations.  So, ultimately the insurance adjuster has the final ruling.  It never hurts to get an opinion from a water damage restoration contractor before placing a claim.

Ok, so what can you do as a home owner to make sure you don’t get caught without coverage when water damage occurs?

Review your Insurance Policy with your Insurance Agent

1. Look through your insurance policy to see what you’re covered or not covered for.

2. If you don’t have access to your policy; reach out to your insurance agent to discuss your water damage coverage in detail.

3. If you find out you are not covered for certain types of water damage, this is a perfect time to get those coverages added to your policy.

What is Limited Insurance Coverage?

We learned previously that just because you have insurance does not guarantee that you have coverage for certain types of water damage.

Limited insurance coverage means that you have insurance coverage, however, that coverage is limited to a certain dollar amount.

For example, if a home owner experiences a drain or sump pump backup in a basement, insurance companies almost always put a $5,000, $10,000, or $25,000 dollar limit on what they will pay out.

Most of the time, $5,000 dollars doesn’t go very far when there’s a foot of water down there.

Some simple research now can save you a financial headache in the future when dealing with water damage.

 

NEED HELP WITH WATER DAMAGE? CALL (317) 315-5071

 

Author Corbin Clow
Categories Insurance Claims

What is an Insurance Deductible?

You’ve heard about your insurance deductible, you’ve worried about your deductible, you’ve feared your deductible, but have you ever understood exactly what your deductible is?

Your insurance deductible is the amount of money that you are responsible for when you place an insurance claim. The amount of your deductible varies greatly depending on your insurance policy. We’ve seen customers with deductibles as low and $250, or as high as $15,000.

(Wouldn’t that be a great bit of information to know before you had to deal with a water damage claim?…)

When dealing with water damage the insurance company typically pays the contractor directly for the water mitigation portion. Then they hold the deductible out of the repair check they pay to you the customer. Brace yourself for math…

For example: The insurance adjuster writes a repair estimate for $15,000. Your deductible is $1,000. The adjuster would then release a check to you for $14,000. Total repairs ($15,000) minus deductible ($1,000) equals your repair payment ($14,000).

Once repairs are complete it is up to you to pay your contractor for the withheld amount. It is also common to work out a deal with your contractor in order to save you from having to pay back your deductible.

NOTE: You often have to give something up in order to make this happen. (Replace your carpet with a cheaper material, do the painting yourself, or decided to not replace certain items, ect…)

As I mentioned before, if you don’t know what your deductible is look through your policy or reach out to your insurance agent. Don’t be the guy or gal that learns you have a $5000 limit (see link) with a $2500 deductible when your finished basement is flooded with a foot of water. (You laugh now but we’ve seen it a hundred times.)

 

NEED HELP WITH WATER DAMAGE? CALL (317) 315-5071

 

Author Corbin Clow
Categories Insurance Claims

How long does a Water Damage Insurance Claim last?

How long does a Water Damage Insurance Claim last?

Good question! If I knew the answer to this I would have psychic powers, and trust me I wish I did know. The reason I don’t know exactly is because each water damage job is different.

Some jobs are very simple, like a small area of wet carpet in a basement. Other jobs are much more complicated, like a toilet overflow in an upstairs bathroom that has been running for multiple weeks and has affected the upstairs, main level, and basement.

Obviously, the severity of the water damage dictates the amount of time it takes a water mitigation contractor to dry out the property, and then complete the appropriate repairs.

Another factor that affects the length of time is the insurance company that is settling the claim. The more claims they’re dealing with, the slower the process becomes. You can image if a hurricane hits Florida, and 75,000 people unexpectedly file a claim, the process as a whole slows way down. Not a good situation…

So you get the point. There are a lot of factors that play into how long a water damage insurance claim lasts, some of which are out of your control.

Having said that if the home owner, insurance adjuster, and water damage contractor generally have good communication; a water damage claim typically takes between 1 and 2 months.

 

Rough Time Line

A rough time line is: 1 week to dry out the property, 2 to 3 weeks to settle estimates and release funds to the insured, and 1 to 3 weeks to schedule and complete repairs.

I know what you’re thinking, sounds like a blast… Truth be told it takes time to do things the right way, and if you are unfortunate enough to have to deal with water damage, that 1 to 2 months goes faster than you’d think. Scouts honor.

 

NEED HELP WITH WATER DAMAGE? CALL (317) 315-5071

 

Author Corbin Clow
Categories Water Damage

Basement Water Damage

Basement Water Damage

Restorex Disaster Restoration helps a lot of customers who experience water damage in their basements. We understand the stresses and anxieties that come with a flooded basement. The video below gives a brief overview of the required steps to properly clean up a basement after it has been affected with water damage.

 

Basement Water Damage Clean-Up Process

Step 1: Water Damage Inspection

Step 2: Water Removal

Step 3: Removals

Step 4: Drying Equipment Set up

Step 5: Equipment Monitoring

Step 6: Final Evaluation

 

Water Damage Inspection

The water damage inspection for a flooded basement is to determine the extent of the water damage in the affected basement. The flooring can be visually inspected but sometimes the water can affect carpet pad without showing on the carpet surface. How Restorex Investigates Water Damage.

The next step is to determine if the water affected the walls.  Typically, the water will only reach 1-2 inches throughout the basement.  The walls can show wetness up as high 12 inches.  The paper on the drywall will wick the water up the surface showing the wall to be wet above the baseboards.

 

Water Removal

The most effective way to clean up a flooded basement is with water removal.  We are able to remove water from basements with extractors.  We use the best water extractors on the market and they can remove water through the carpet and pad.  During extraction we will need to move the furniture and contents in the basement to run the extractor over all the affected areas.

 

Removals

Depending on the extent of water damage we might be required to make removals of certain building materials.  In a basement with water damage, this can include baseboards, drywall and insulation.  Every basement is built differently so it just depends on the initial inspection to decide what is required to be removed.

At this time we would spray a plant based anti-microbial product call Benefect.  This product is a hospital grade disinfectant and will help prevent any microbial or mold growth during the water damage cleanup process.

 

Drying Equipment Set Up

Drying equipment is used to remove the remaining water from the basement.  Standard drying equipment for water damage restoration projects are Low Grain Refrigerant (LGR) Dehumidifiers, Electric Heaters, and Air Movers.  This equipment provides the necessary energy to remove the water from the affected materials. Read about Restorex’s water damage equipment.

 

 

Equipment Monitoring

The drying equipment needs to run for a minimum of 3 days.  During those 3 days we need to stop by to check on the equipment.  During these visits we will make sure all the equipment is running properly and get temperature and relative humidity readings.  These readings tell us if the equipment is creating a good drying environment.

 

Final Evaluation

After 3 days we will inspect the basement and determine if the building materials have been dried to their original moisture content.  If everything has dried properly, we will remove the drying equipment and adjust the furniture and content back to their original locations.  The water damage repairs will come after the drying is complete.

 

 

NEED HELP WITH WATER DAMAGE? CALL (317) 315-5071

 

 

Author Corbin Clow
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