THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND IF YOU HAVE A LOSS - HOW TO AVOID GETTING RIPPED OFF
With all the storms and fires we see every year there is a steady increase in the number of
storm chasers, shady board up crews and public adjusters (PA's) preying on homeowners. Don't become a victim and be weary of people that were not sent by your insurance company. No one ever thinks their house is going to catch fire so they are not mentally or psychically prepared for what follows. Here are some things to keep in mind to avoid being scammed if you suffer a loss.
If you suffer any type of loss turn to your insurance agent for guidance. Don't rely on some person who shows up while your home is still a blaze or tells you they are gonna waive your deductible if you just sign this piece of paper. During this tragic time you need someone you know, someone you trust, someone who recommended coverage's to keep you protected in times like this.
Focus on the now and not the many things to come just yet. First make sure your family and pets are safe. This is the time to think of what you need from your home: personal belongings, keys, important papers, photo ids, insurance policy, things of value (they may be hidden), money & checking, clothes (if they do not have fire/smoke or water damage), medicine (if it does not have fire/smoke damage) and anything else you feel you need. Keep in mind that if your home is boarded up it may be days before you can renter.
Figure out where you are going to stay: family, friends or even a hotel. If you had a fire loss your insurance can typically assist in making arrangements for you to stay in a hotel. Do NOT telling anyone other than family, friends or your insurance where you are staying.
While you are trying to figure out where you are going to lay your head tonight you need to prepare yourself for the vultures that will be flocking around your property. Random people will be approaching you saying they can help you. Some will lie and say anything to find out what insurance company you have so they can claim to be sent from that company. Do NOT give these people any information about your insurance, yourself, your work place or where you will be staying. Some may even offer you money and claim that you don't have to sign any paperwork for this so called gift. No one is going to offer you money and not hound you for something in return. Avoid these people at all costs. They do not care about your family and getting you back home. Their main focus is how they can maximize your claim so they can make more money. Once the checks start to come they will disappear and your home will be left unfinished.
It may be a few days before your insurance adjuster can make it out to inspect your property. During this time your phone will be blowing up and people may even show to your hotel looking for you. These chasers main goal is to get you to sign with them before your adjuster even sees your property. This gives them an opportunity to "spike" the job. This refers to throwing some equipment in your home while taking some of your items out of the home to make it appear as though things are already moving along. The last thing you want is to have some random company touching your property or your personal property before anything has been approved. During times of continuous storms insurance adjusters are a lot more understanding if water damage losses are addressed before they are able to inspect your property. In these types of cases it is recommended that you inform your adjuster that you have a company that can clean up the damage. They will inform you take pictures of everything for documentation. Water damage losses need to be addressed in a timely manner to prevent further damage such as mold. Because of the overwhelming amount of claims storms bring insurance adjusters can quickly get backed up. Many will even recommend that you proceed with having a restoration clean up your water loss opposed to prevent mold from forming. In regards to fire losses, the longer contents are left in a boarded up smoke damaged building the more damage they can take on. Of course you want to act right away and see things moving out and demotion beginning but do NOT do anything until your insurance adjuster approves or you may affect your claim. Because there are so many things that go into addressing a fire loss (demolition/structure/rebuild, contents/total loss, temporary housing, and etc.) you should always run things by your insurance adjuster before any type of work is performed. Because there are so many shady companies out there trying to maximize a claim by ripping of the insurance company there are certain protocols that need to be followed. Your insurance policy has a cap on the structure as well as the contents. This means your insurance is only going to pay out so much and that total depends on the amount of coverage you choose. If a shady company you let take over your claim submits a large bill then you are responsible for remaining balance after your insurance proceeds run out.
Once your adjuster comes out they will inspect your property so they can develop a scope of the work. This may take some time if your loss is severe. Thorough measurements and pictures must be taken so they have accurate documentation. Every building material in your home needs to be accounted for and a price is then calculated so they know how much it will accurately cost to restore your home.Take advantage of this time with your adjuster and ask questions. What will be covered and what won't, how much money do I have to use for expenses such as food and clothing, how long can I stay in a hotel, am I going to move into a temporary home (if the loss is severe enough), can I still eat any food in my fridge or cabinets (not recommended in severe fire/smoke loss), can I still use my medicine (not recommended in severe fire/smoke loss) or any other important question you need an answer to. It make take some time before your scope of work is finalized. KEEP ALL YOUR RECEIPTS for anything purchased while you are out of your home so you can be reimbursed. Make sure you have a good understanding of what you can be reimbursed for. Many people assume they will be reimbursed for any food lost due to power outage from a storm. They do not realize that the food loss amount needs to exceed your deductible and your deductible needs to be met before anything would even be paid. Keep in mind all policies are different and you would need to verify with your insurance agent.
While you are trying to get your life back in order after a fire loss you should be thinking of who you are going to use to help you restore your home and your contents. Are you going to go with your insurance companies recommended vendor, your friend/family member that is a general contractor or a company that you found on your own? Now is the time to think of what your needs are and who can meet them. It is usually best to find a company that is a full service restoration company like Rainbow International. Full service refers to a company that can assist with the mitigation, clean up, smoke removal, content pack out/cleaning/storage/total loss list, potential mold issues and the rebuild. There are many contractors out there that limit their specialty. If they have limited services you will then need to find one company to handle your contents and another company to rebuild your home. The most important thing a restoration company must have is IICRC certifications in fire, smoke, water and mold. This certification means they know and abide by restoration guidelines and are capable of handling the issues many general contractors don't know how to handle. Research potential companies to avoid future conflict and to put you at peace knowing you made a good decision with your life's investment. Google is endless at allowing you to do some thorough research. Look at a companies website, testimonials, pictures of their work, feedback online from clients, BBB rating/complaints, Cook/Dupage/Will County lawsuits, Facebook and anything else that aids in your decision making. As the policy holder you have the right to choose whomever you want to restore your home but researching companies is a critical aspect in the decision making.
Before cleaning and construction can even begin your contents need to be addressed. Some may be salvageable so they will need to be packed out and stored until they can be cleaned. Your textiles will need to go to a dry cleaner that is experienced in cleaning smoke damaged clothing. Severely damaged clothing can NOT be laundered at the laundry mat because the smoke smell will still linger after it's been washed. Your non-salvageable items will be written down on a total loss list (also known as a non-sal) and you will be reimbursed for these items. If some items are not recognizable they may need your help to list damaged items from memory. Keep in mind that you may not see the items that are packed out of your home for months so be sure you have everything you need. Did you know that if you choose to go with a public adjuster in Illinois they can receive up to ten percent of the total amount they negotiated for your contents?
Now is the time to hope you choose to go with a RCV policy over a ACV policy. Hopefully you also went with the recommenced building replacement amount your insurance agent offered. Keep in mind there is this thing insurance companies like to call "depreciation". This means that things depreciate over time so they are going to pay you but they are going to withhold some of the value since it is not new. A new shirt is different than a old shirt that has been worn a million times and in now shrunk and faded. Newly installed carpet is different than carpet that has a wear pattern from being walked on over the last ten years. In regards to your contents, you will receive multiple checks to replace your contents minus depreciation if you have a RCV policy. The catch is that you will not receive the full amount for that item unless you go out and repurchase the lost item and submit your receipt for it. If you have a ACV policy you will only receive one check for your contents minus depreciation. When restoring your home your insurance company takes into consideration the age of your building materials and they cost the replace them. Again, a new roof is different than a twenty five year old roof. Did you know that if you choose to go with a public adjuster in Illinois they can receive up to ten percent of the total amount they negotiated for your structure? If you hire a public adjuster to negotiate your claim you are now looking at giving away twenty percent of your insurance proceeds (10% for contents and 10% for structure)!
If you suffer a water loss then there is a chance that your home can be restored with minimal to no demolition depending on your damage. Rapid Structural Drying (RSD) dries building materials in place. Rainbow International implements the latest RSD technology when addressing water damage situations. Many companies come in and cut out walls and tear up flooring because it increases the size of the claim and the amount they can bill for. Construction often leads to higher bills so it is always best to try and save what you possibly can. Extensive demolition is often unnecessary and just forces the insurance company to raise rates to cover over inflated jobs. Did you know that in most cases clean water can be sucked through the padding and the carpet to dry the sub floor opposed to ripping up the carpet and padding? Thanks to advance technology and top of the line equipment the insides of walls, carpets and sub floor can now avoid being torn apart. There are situations such as sewage damage and flood damage where carpet and padding needs to be replaced. Ask questions so you have a good understanding why a company recommends the services they are performing. Many people don't realize the average going rate for insurance repair or mitigation so they are often stunned by a final bill. The latest technology can dry your home out in three to four days opposed to inconveniencing you by running equipment for seven days. Effective equipment isn't cheap but it gets your home back to normal with a quicker turn around. Minimal damage and the accurate insurance coverage will assist in keeping costs low. If you are under insured or did not take advantage of the additional coverage's that were recommended then you may be looking at higher out of pocket cost. Please keep in mind that each circumstance will always dictate the outcome.
If you are looking for a honest and reliable restoration company that can assist you with your fire, smoke, water, mold and wind damage contact Rainbow International at 708.460.0911.
Check us out on the web by Googling Rainbow International of South West Suburbs.
