Be Aware of Restoration Companies

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Be Aware of Restoration Companies
Restoration companies can be a crucial part of an
insurance claim. These companies and contractors
could be needed for emergency services like
water mitigation and boarding up the property to
keep it secure. They can also be utilized for
contents pack out, contents cleaning, debris
removal, and other miscellaneous items. Policy
holders have the option to hire these
contractors for the subsequential repairs as well.
Did you know that you have the right to hire a
contractor of your choice and you dont have to
hire the insurance companys preferred vendor?
This helps put you in control of where your
insurance money is being paid. Here are a few
ways restoration companies and contractors can
make a surplus of money off your claim.
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• Not providing their own estimate.
• Writing a contract for insurance proceeds.
• Not being flexible with their clients needs and
  wants.
• Charging double the industry standard on
  emergency services.
• Considering the insurance company their actual
  client
• First and foremost, most people desire to know
  the cost of something be before paying for it.
  We have experienced many claims through the
  years where contractors begin work before letting
  homeowners and business owners how much the job
  will cost. Scary! Additionally, we have seen
  contractors rely exclusively on the insurance
  companys estimate and sometimes those estimates
  are not in line with the damages and proper
  repairs needed.
• This is troublesome because contracts with these
  types of contractors may be written for
  insurance proceeds. This means you as the policy
  holder will pay the contractor all of the
  structure payments regardless of the work they
  do or do not actually complete. They also might
  not be willing to work outside of the insurance
  companys estimate which limits you, the
  insured, from choosing how your home is repaired.
• As the policy holder, you can choose what you
  want done to your home. What this means is if
  you want to take the opportunity to make some
  changes to your home while there is already work
  being done in that area, you can. Just know that
  the insurance company only owes for what existed
  before the loss occurred. You also need to make
  sure your contractor is willing to do change
  orders. For example, instead of replacing the
  free-standing range you can opt for a cook top
  and built in oven if thats something youve
  been wanting. The contractor should swap those
  items in a change order so you can see the price
  difference,

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if any. Emergency services can be challenging in
getting an estimate before the work begins
because these services are typically needed
rather quickly. Unfortunately, we have seen
claims were contractors take advantage of the
fact that their services are needed immediately
and upcharge. Be cautious of who you hire for
your emergency services because your insurance
company may not agree with the excessive amount
and you could be stuck with paying out of pocket.