About Insurance Claims FAQ

12/19/2018 (Permalink)

SERVPRO of North Irving is locally owned and operated leader in the restoration industry. We have the expertise to handle any size disaster.

Why Trust SERVPRO of North Irving With Your Home Insurance Claim?

Our franchise has been processing home insurance claims since we began servicing Dallas Fort Worth in 1986.  We have helped thousands of homeowners and businesses clean and restore their properties after fire and water damages, and we can help you, too.

When you choose our franchise, one of our office administrators will be assigned especially to guide you through your insurance claim from start to end.  They will establish contact with your insurance adjuster and communicate with them on a daily basis as your property is being restored. When we have a question or need documentation from you, we’ll ask.  Otherwise, we do all the heavy lifting in the claims process, and we will keep you updated as the remediation process continues.

Our franchise works with every insurance company.  Many insurance adjusters and insurance companies prefer to work with our franchise because we are a full service provider, meaning we can handle every portion of your claim ourselves.  This makes us more efficient and less expensive than hiring multiple companies to restore your home.

When all or part of your claim is denied, we will find a way to work with you to still get your property cleaned and restored properly.  Learn more about our unique franchise here.

What is an insurance claim?

An insurance claim is when you request coverage or compensation from your insurance company.  When you experience a water damage, fire damage, or any other damage to your property, you can call your insurance company to request that they help cover the expenses to restore or rebuild your property back to a pre loss condition.

Who should I call to report a loss?

You can call us before contacting your insurance provider in order to get your emergency handled immediately.  It’s important to quickly get your damage taken care of because some insurance companies deny at least part of an insurance claim if it finds that a property owner did not try to protect their property from getting more damaged.

While we’re on the way, call your insurance provider to report the loss.  Once you’re given a claim number, call us to let us know. The administrator from our office that is assigned to help you will contact your insurance adjuster and begin to process your claim.

What is secondary damage?

Secondary damage is the damage that occurs to a property that happened as a result of the primary damage not being taken care of.  For example, a property has a fire damage and it now needs smoke and soot cleanup. During the fire, the roof was damaged. The homeowner did not choose to hire a fire damage restoration company to perform emergency fire damage services such as roof tarping.  Due to their failure to act, the home gets flooded when a rainstorm passes overnight.  In this case, the water damage that resulted is now considered a secondary damage because the roof was not taken care of properly.

Secondary damage is an important consideration when working with insurance because some insurance providers deny all or parts of a claim if they can prove a homeowner did not do enough to prevent secondary damage to their property.  For this reason, it’s important to take care of a water or fire damage as soon as it occurs.

What is homeowners insurance?

Homeowner’s insurance provides coverage for your private home.  It can also be called home insurance or property insurance.  In the event of a loss, your insurance provider will pay to repair the damage, replace your belongings, and rebuild your property.

Homeowner’s insurance may cover:

• Property damage - this includes damage to your home and detached structures
• Personal liability - this includes the cost to repair a property or medical care when you or a family member causes damage or is injured on your property
• Personal property loss - this includes damage or theft of personal property.  If you have valuable items inside your home, you may need extra insurance to make sure the cost of replacement for those items is included, too.  
• Added living costs - this includes the cost of temporary living if your home is not habitable while it is being restored

Every homeowner’s insurance policy is different.  Please contact your insurance provider to know what exactly is covered in your policy.  

Is flooding covered in my homeowner’s insurance?

Flooding from a storm like a hurricane is typically not covered in homeowner’s insurance.  To verify what your policy excludes, contact your insurance provider.  

You can purchase flood insurance from an insurance agent or insurance provider that participates in the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP).  To learn more, see: FEMA Flood Insurance.

What is pre loss condition?

Pre-loss condition refers to the state your property was in before it was damaged.  Many times, insurance policies will only pay to get your home back to where it was before the water, fire, or mold damage.  In other words, insurance will not typically pay to upgrade your home.

What is replacement cost?

Replacement cost is the cost to replace your entire home.  This is not the same as the market value of your property, how much you initially paid for it, or how much you have left on your mortgage.  For example, if your insurance company determines that it will cost $100,000 to replace your home, it will pay $100,000; it will not take into account that its market value is $250,000, that you initially paid $175,000 for it, or that you have $50,000 left in your mortgage.  

What is renter’s insurance?

Renters insurance covers your stolen or damaged items, and it also pays when someone is injured on your property.  It may also pay for alternative living arrangements if your property is damaged and not habitable. Renter’s insurance is not mandatory, but it may be part of your contractual agreement with a landlord.  

How much does renter’s insurance cost?

The cost of renter’s insurance varies by the size of the property and your location.  Contact your local insurance company for a quote.

What does my insurance policy cover?

We are not given a copy of your insurance policy.  To know what you are covered for, please contact your insurance provider.

What is an insurance deductible?

A deductible is the dollar amount you are personally responsible to pay before your insurance company covers the rest the claim’s cost.  Every policy has a different deductible. Please contact your insurance agent to know what your deductible is.  

We do not require you to pay your deductible before emergency services are started.  While the project is ongoing, your deductible will be due and can be paid directly to us.   

What is an insurance adjuster?

An insurance adjuster is another name for a claims adjuster or claims representative.  This is the person that works with your insurance provider and is assigned to your claim to process it.  Our office administrators will be in contact with your assigned insurance adjuster throughout the restoration process to ensure your claim is processed.

What is an independent insurance adjuster?

Sometimes your insurance provider does not have an adjuster that works directly for them.  Instead, they hire an independent adjuster to process your claim.  Independent adjusters can work for many insurance companies.  Their role is the same as an insurance adjuster.

What does an insurance adjuster do?

An insurance adjuster will visit your property and inspect it.  They will see the extent of the damage and determine if your claim is covered under your insurance policy or not.  They will take documentation of your loss and handle the claim process by working directly with the restoration company you choose.  Our office administrators will work with the insurance adjuster assigned to your claim.  We talk to them on an almost daily basis and share all the documentation we gather from the project.  When we need approval to finish parts of your project, they are the person we talk to.

How do I know if my water damage or fire damage is covered?

Water and fire damage is typically covered in insurance policies, but the only way to know with certainty is to read your policy or ask your insurance provider.

How do I know if mold remediation is covered?

Contact your insurance provider to ask if mold remediation is covered.  

Will my insurance cover temporary housing?

Some policies include temporary housing costs but others do not.  Contact your insurance provider to verify.

What if my insurance adjuster suggests another disaster restoration company?

By law, your insurance adjuster and your insurance company must honor which restoration company you want to work with.  They cannot force you to use any one company, and they cannot impose any sort of penalties or deny your coverage if you choose a company they initially did not recommend. 

The insurance adjuster assigned to your claim may suggest you use another disaster restoration company or may even suggest you use a variety of smaller companies to each handle a different portion of your claim.  The choice is really yours.

You can feel confident when you choose SERVPRO of North Irving as your preferred restoration company.  We have worked with thousands of families and businesses in DFW over 30 years.  We work with all insurance companies, and we will help your claim be processed successfully.

How long does the insurance claim process take?

Because every project is different, the length of time for an insurance claim to be processed is also different case by case.  Our goal is always to restore your property quickly so you can get back to your regular life.

What if my insurance claim is denied?

We work with insurance adjusters to make sure that the work our technicians are doing is covered.  This is accomplished by asking your adjuster for approval before starting non-emergency parts of your water or fire damage cleanup.  Once we get approval, then we begin work.

Our office seeks approval from agents first because the last thing we want to do is start work on a portion of a project that is later denied.  This causes an invoice higher than the insurance deductible the homeowner was expecting to pay.

If a part of your claim is not covered, we will let you know what next steps you can take.  Many homeowners choose to self-finance denied portions of their claim in order to finish the cleanup.

How do insurance payouts work?

Every insurance company works a bit differently, but in general, this is what you can expect:

• Your insurance adjuster will ask you to pay your deductible so they can pay for the rest of the claim.  The deductible is paid directly to us.  We accept checks and all major credit cards.
• We will work with your insurance adjuster to process your claim.  Your adjuster will approve or deny different parts of it.  When the project is done, we will send your adjuster the invoice for your claim.
• Your adjuster will issue a check to pay for the claim.  The amount the check is for exactly covers the invoice.
• The check is sometimes sent directly to us.  When this happens, your claim has been completed.
• Other times, the check is sent to you, and you are responsible for paying us in turn.  When you pay your invoice, then your claim has been completed.

Can I switch restoration companies in the middle of my project?

Yes, it is possible to switch restoration companies.  Customers usually choose to do this because they are either unhappy with the work another company has done, or they have chosen to work with a full service restoration company that can handle their entire claim versus many smaller companies that can only handle one portion of their claim.

If you would like to work with our franchise, just give us a call and let us know.  We will make arrangements with your current restoration company to take over the work. 

Other Insurance Claim Questions

Do you have a question we have not covered? Ask us, and we’ll be happy to answer.  We’re here to help!

Trusted Leader in Texas Disaster Restoration

SERVPRO of North Irving is locally owned and operated leader in the restoration industry.  We have the expertise to handle any size fire and smoke damage restoration in Dallas, Texas.  We have performed residential and commercial restoration work in Dallas, Fort Worth, Arlington, Garland, Grapevine, Corsicana, and other North Texas communities for over 30 years.  We also have a Texas Mold Remediation Contractor License and offer free mold inspections.

Our crews are available dispatch for 24 hour emergencies every day of the year.  We are faster to any size disaster! Reach us 24/7 at (972) 986-7677.

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We are a family owned and operated business.  Learn more about us.

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