Commercial Water Damage Commercial water damage is one of the most common types of commercial insurance claims. Moreover, you can never predict how water damage is going to strike your business. For example, it can happen because of a burst pipe, a flood, or snowmelt. Water can harm walls, ceilings, floors, furnishings, and other areas of the facility. For this reason, you must understand commercial damage, so you know how to approach commercial water damage restoration. As a responsible business owner, you must be able to prevent and handle commercial water damage. If your business or commercial building has already sustained water damage, you must solve the problem immediately. Indeed, immediate response is necessary when commercial water damage occurs. Even small amounts of water can cause your commercial property long-term issues, such as mold, bacteria, allergens, and stench. And all of those, as mentioned earlier, can result in extensive property damage and complicated insurance claims. For instance, if water damage goes unattended, you may find wooden structures swelling and warping. This may then lead to the disintegration of wood and, consequently, to costly repairs. Furthermore, standing water can quickly spread through your entire building, causing damage to upholstery, carpets, books, records, and even metal surfaces. These are just some of the reasons why prompt commercial water damage restoration is essential. Causes of Commercial Water Damage As mentioned above, commercial water damage can happen at any time and for a number of reasons. Whether from natural disasters, leaking roofs, frozen pipes, sewage backups, or flooding, water damage is a serious concern and a major threat to your commercial building. However, understanding the source of the flooding is essential for proper cleanup. For example, clean water from a broken pipe will be treated differently than floodwaters and sewage backups. In addition, black and gray waters can cause severe...

Water Cleanup Water damage is quite a common type of home or business structural damage and, consequently, a common type of insurance claim. It can happen in many ways but always leaves behind the unpleasant task of cleaning up the damage. Deciding how best to deal with the water cleanup process can be frustrating and challenging. For this reason, we have compiled a list of tips and tricks on how to handle water cleanup better. Consider the Different Types of Water when Dealing with the Water Cleanup Process Before beginning the water cleanup process, you must first identify what type of water caused the loss. There are three types of water. The first type is clean water. Therefore, it can come from rain, condensation, leaky pipes, and so on. This type of water doesn't pose a threat to humans since it lacks contaminants or bacteria. As a result, it's also the easiest to clean up. The second type is gray water. Gray water is slightly dirty water from dishwashers, washing machines, clean toilets, and so on. Therefore, some may have contaminants, and the repair process should be carried out carefully and with proper safety gear. Finally, the third type is black water, such as sewage or severe flooding from nearby rivers. This water contains waste, bacteria, and other serious contaminants. Blackwater can cause very serious health problems and should be dealt with immediately by water damage repair professionals. Water Cleanup: The Destruction Water Causes First, wallboard and drywall: These porous materials act like a sponge and become fragile in a flood. Afterward, they may even remain contaminated if you don't disinfect them properly. Second, plaster: This thick material may not need replacement, but it takes a very long time to dry. However, it can get severely cracked or warped. In that case, it will need replacement. Third, insulation: Be sure to hose down and dry out foam sheets of insulation. Meanwhile, muddy fiberglass batts should be thrown out. Finally,...

Cleaning Up After a Flood Tips Cleaning up after a flood sweeps through your home is a massive task. Moreover, how do you even clean up after so much water? For this reason, we have compiled this "Cleaning up after flood tips" list to help you out with the process. First and most importantly, stay safe when handling your flood damage! Do not return to the area until local authorities say it's safe to do so. If standing water remains in your home, turn off the electricity and gas before entering the property. In addition, inspect the home's structure thoroughly and wear protective gear. It's daunting to see signs of flooding in your home. For instance, active water on the floor or water stains up the walls. Therefore, the cleanup process begins by accepting your landscape has changed and knowing it can be fixed. Start with these tips to help you clean up following a flood. Cleaning Up After a Flood Tips: What You Should Do If there has been flooding in your home or business, it's best to contact your insurance company immediately. Remember that many people will be filing insurance claims after a natural disaster. For this reason, will leave adjusters and insurers saturated with work. Furthermore, the sooner you file a flood insurance claim, the sooner the restoration process will begin. Once you file your claim, you'll need to contact a professional flood cleanup service. They will be in charge of repairing your home or business property. For example, they will take care of tasks like removing carpet padding that may have come in contact with contaminated floodwaters. They could also pump out standing water and take step to mitigate damage.Furthermore, your restoration company will dry out any flooded areas and disinfect them within 48 hours to avoid mold growth. Your flood damage restoration company will also take care of the following: Cleaning Up After a Flood Tips #1: Safety first The water that flooded your property may have contained sewage or other...

What Is Specialized Commercial Cleaning? Every business has commercial cleaning needs that must be accommodated. Some are pretty general, and others very specific. In fact, it's especially true if your business provides a specific service. It also probably has specific demands that require specialized commercial cleaning. However, depending on how this type of advanced cleaning is carried out, it can either make or break the business. In addition, it's keeping your business neat and up to date prevents property damage and subsequently prevents insurance claims. Nevertheless, these specialized cleaning needs can be met by employing the right help. Regardless, it's important to know what type of cleaning system your business needs. So we have a list of some of the most common types of specialized cleaning services. First, Cold Room Specialized Commercial Cleaning. Cold rooms are a type of refrigeration chamber or insulated space designed to maintain an artificially generated range of temperatures. Therefore, when an improper work practice occurs in cold rooms, it can result in mold and contamination of the space. Many health risks come from inhaling mold spores and contaminated air. For this reason, it's so important to clean a cold room properly. Prevention of mold growth in cold rooms is achieved by controlling condensation, moisture and removing materials contributing to mold growth. Furthermore, specialized commercial cleaning and disinfecting must happen a minimum of every six months. A specialized commercial cleaning service will ensure that all the mold is gone and less likely to return. Second, Cleanroom Specialized Commercial Cleaning A cleanroom is a controlled environment where pollutants like dust, airborne microbes, and aerosol particles are filtered out. Therefore, a cleanroom means to achieve being the cleanest area possible. To illustrate, most cleanrooms are used to manufacture electronics, pharmaceutical products, and medical equipment. For...

Commercial Water Restoration Commercial water damage is one of the most common types of commercial insurance claims. Moreover, you can never predict how water damage is going to strike your business. For example, it can happen because of a burst pipe, a flood, or snowmelt. Water can walls, ceilings, floors, furnishings, and other areas of the facility. For this reason, you must understand commercial water restoration. As a responsible business owner, you must be able to prevent and handle commercial water damage. If your business or commercial building has already sustained water damage, you must solve the problem immediately. Why is immediate commercial water restoration so important? Even small amounts of water can cause your commercial property long-term issues, such as mold, bacteria, allergens, and stench. And all of those, as mentioned earlier, can result in extensive property damage and complicated insurance claims. For instance, if water damage goes unattended, you may find wooden structures swelling and warping. This may then lead to the disintegration of wood and, consequently, to costly repairs. Furthermore, standing water can quickly spread through your entire building, causing damage to upholstery, carpets, books, records, and even metal surfaces. These are just some of the reasons why prompt commercial water damage restoration is essential. Causes of Commercial Water Damage As mentioned above, water damage can happen at any time and for a number of reasons. Whether from natural disasters, leaking roofs, frozen pipes, sewage backups, or flooding, water damage is a serious concern and a major threat to your commercial building. However, understanding the source of the flooding is essential for proper cleanup. For example, clean water from a broken pipe will be treated differently than floodwaters and sewage backups. In addition, black and gray waters can cause severe health problems. So be sure always to protect your health, and let the commercial...

How To Complain About Insurance Companies Insurance companies are in business for the money. They aren't charities, and they don't necessarily have your best interests in mind. For this reason, you might find yourself suffering an unpleasant experience when dealing with your insurance company. As a result, you might find yourself needing to file a complaint against them. So, if you have a complaint about your insurance company, where do you turn? To answer this question, we have compiled some of the best advice we offer on how to complain about insurance companies. If you want to submit a complaint about your insurance, here are the most common options: Contact your insurance agent. Appeal to an executive at the insurance company. Ask a third party, such as an ombudsman, to mediate your dispute. File a complaint with the state department of insurance, which regulates insurance activity and insurer compliance with state laws and regulations. Seek arbitration if that is an option in your policy. File a legal claim against the insurer in court. Why Complain About Insurance Companies? There are a number of reasons why you might make a complaint about an insurance company. For example: You feel your insurer gave you unfair compensation for your damage. Repair work has been done to a poor standard. You were treated poorly by the company's insurance agents. Your insurer automatically renewed your policy without you realizing it. You might feel that your insurance agent didn't properly explain your policy when they sold it to you. After you make a complaint, the insurance company will look at your complaint and see if it's appropriate to compensate you. In fact, there's a simple, step-by-step process you can go through to try and resolve the problem. Read on ahead to learn how to complain about insurance companies. How to Complain About Insurance Companies: First, you can try to resolve the complaint informally. If you bought your policy through an insurance broker, they...

Water Damage Repair Water damage is quite a common type of home damage and, consequently, a common type of insurance claim. It can happen in many ways but always leaves behind the unpleasant task of cleaning up the damage. Deciding how best to deal with the water damage repair process can be frustrating and challenging. For this reason, we have compiled a list of tips and tricks on how to handle water damage better. Different Types of Water Before beginning the water damage repair process, you must first identify what type of water caused the loss. There are three types of water. The first type is clean water. It can come from rain, condensation, leaky pipes, and so on. This type of water doesn't pose a threat to humans since it lacks contaminants or bacteria. As a result, it's also the easiest to clean up. The second type is gray water. Gray water is slightly dirty water from dishwashers, washing machines, clean toilets, and so on. Therefore, some may have contaminants, and the repair process should be carried out carefully and with proper safety gear. Finally, the third type is black water, such as sewage or severe flooding from nearby rivers. This water contains waste, bacteria, and other serious contaminants. Blackwater can cause very serious health problems and should be dealt with immediately by water damage repair professionals. Water Damage Repair Process: Step by Step First, locate the water source. As we mentioned before, homes generally have three types of water running through them: clean water, gray water, and black water. So the first step after realizing you have water damage would be to identify what type of water is the culprit of your loss. Then, it's crucial you shut off any water source in your home in order to prevent additional damage. In case the problem is an opening on the home, be sure to seal it off with a tarp. Second, dry out the affected area as soon as possible. It's essential to act fast when dealing with the water damage repair...

What You Need to Know About Homeowners Insurance Of course, homeowner’s insurance is not a luxury item in the United States. However, although the law does not require homeowner’s insurance, every mortgage company or bank offering mortgages does. Consequently, if you want to purchase a house, you need to have homeowner’s insurance. What does Homeowners Insurance Cover? State agencies regulate insurance companies. However, there are no state requirements for specific types of coverage in a homeowner’s policy. Nevertheless, there are certain types of coverage that appear in standard homeowner’s insurance policies: Your Home and Its Contents Homeowner’s insurance provides dwelling coverage to the interior and exterior of your home. Furthermore, homeowner’s insurance also covers the contents of your home. Personal property, such as clothing, furniture, appliances and jewelry are all covered.However, there are limits to how much the insurance company will pay for certain items. For example, the insurance policy may have limits regarding jewelry, artwork, antiques, etc. Consequently, if you have expensive jewelry, artwork, silverware, etc., you have coverage options to purchase additional insurance for those items. Personal Liability Coverage Your homeowner’s insurance covers losses relating to personal injury lawsuits.For instance, someone could trip and fall on your sidewalk and sue you. In that event, your homeowner’s coverage kicks in. Therefore, your insurance company will hire a lawyer to defend you. In addition, the insurance company will pay any settlement or jury award (up to the policy limits). Additional Living Expenses The damage to your house could force you to leave while your house while it is being repaired or rebuilt. So your homeowner’s insurance will pay for hotels, restaurant meals, etc. However, these additional living expenses will have policy limits. What Types of Homeowner’s Insurance Coverages Are Available? Generally, there are three types of...

Water Damage Loss-You May Need a Public Adjuster A water damage loss is one of the most common claims filed by homeowners and businesses with their insurance companies. Insurance generally covers water damage. However, property owners may not be aware of the special restrictions in their policies regarding water damage loss claims. Additionally, property owners should know that water damage and flood damage are not the same things. Indeed, flood damage is not covered by home insurance policies. That goes for business insurance too. A property owner must purchase a separate flood damage policy to cover the cost of flood damages. What Can Cause a Water Damage Loss? There are many ways water can get into your home or business. Certainly, natural disasters, such as hurricanes and severe storms, can cause a water damage loss. In addition, sinks and bathtubs can over overflow. Washing machines and hot water heaters can break down and leave a room flooded. Aged pipes can leak. Water can back up in sewer drains. Burst pipes in vacation homes can happen in the winter because of freezing temperatures. Roofs on both residential homes and commercial buildings can wear out and develop leaks. Further, winds from a hurricane or tornado can tear roofs off the building. As a result, gaping holes allow rainwater inside the structure, resulting in damage in your home or business. What Are the Categories of Water Damage Losses? Generally, there are three categories of water damage losses: 1. A Category 1 water damage loss is a “clean water” loss. This type of loss refers to a water leak that does not pose a health threat to any residents or visitors to the building. For instance, Category 1 water damage loss occurs with a water backup, leaking pipes in a basement or ceiling, etc. 2. A Category 2 water damage loss involves “gray water.” This type of water is potentially hazardous to people. For example, leaking water from a toilet or a sanitary sewer would be in this category. 3....

How to Speed Up Insurance Claim If a natural disaster has damaged your home, you will juggle several issues all at once. Securing the property. Cleaning up the mess. Deciding what to throw out, what can be fixed. You will certainly be filing an insurance claim. This will mean getting repair estimates for the damaged parts of your home.What will my property insurance cover? The insurance adjuster who showed up seemed courteous and businesslike. But will they fight me on the cost of repair like my car insurance company did when I had an accident last year? Therefore, the last thing you need to worry about is how fast the homeowner's insurance company will handle your claim. But there are steps you can take to speed up your property damage insurance claim. Before the Storm A simple step people can take before any storm is to inventory their personal property. We are not talking about the number of forks and knives in the kitchen. Rather, make a list of expensive jewelry, artwork and antiques. The list could include the date of purchase and purchase price (receipts are better). Additionally, this applies to high-end televisions, stereo equipment, computers/laptops, etc. Indeed, a fire or severe storm could destroy all those items. Furthermore, they could be thrown away before the insurance company’s claims adjuster comes to inspect the damaged property. Consequently, if you have proof that you purchased these items and at what price, the claims process will certainly go smoother.Likewise, keep your property inventory up to date. Periodically, add any significant purchases to the list. After the Storm It is important that you take pictures/videos of your damaged property as soon as possible. Depending on what happened, workers may remove damaged items as unsalvageable. However, it will certainly speed up your home insurance claim if you have photographic proof of the damage. Additionally, you will want pictures of the damage before any repairs begin. Review Your...