Can Professional Post-Fire Job Scoping Expedite Claims Approvals?

10/19/2020 (Permalink)

Yorktown Heights Residences Benefit from SERVPRO's Professional Fire Damage and Cleanup Services. We work with your insurance carrier.

Our SERVPRO professionals can work with your insurance provider to present the appropriate information necessary to approve damage claims made on Yorktown Heights homes after a fire.

Fires can be among the most destructive and damaging situations that your Yorktown Heights home faces. With the speed that fires can spread, first responders work fast to quell the flames and extinguish the blaze entirely. In the same vein, restoration professionals must respond as quickly once it is safe to begin initial actions that protect the property and its occupants. From temporary roof tarping and board up to content relocation and air quality control, we know how critical a fast response becomes.

Because fire damage restoration for Yorktown Heights homes can feature so many layers of cleaning and recovery, the process should begin as soon as possible. Unfortunately, home insurance policies do not always immediately greenlight all the restoration that your home needs beyond fire debris removal and specific mitigation tasks. Our SERVPRO team works to provide the most efficient and streamlined approach to get the go-ahead to begin clean up.

How Plausible is DIY Cleaning After a Fire?

Many homeowners attempt to provide the work and attention that their properties need after fire and water losses. The DIY approach is often undesirable when you consider several variables that make cleaning challenging and potentially hazardous. These include:

• Soot – Soot can be among the most palpable cleaning challenges for DIY approaches, primarily because exposure to these particles can be hazardous to your health. Also, depending on the material affected and the type of residue, many potential cleaning strategies might be necessary. 
• Smoke – The spread and concentrations of smoke can directly impact the thickness and strength of odors after a fire loss. Deodorization techniques must get used to remedy these circumstances as soon as possible. Often these actions fall to thermal fogging and other approaches specific to professional restoration. 
• Structural Damages – Not only can surface cleaning and deodorization be a concern, but the impact on fire debris and partial structural collapse showcase the need for professional restorers and contractors. 

What Can Job Scoping Determine?

Pre-mitigation evaluations of the property can help each element of our SERVPRO response be on the same page with the structure's restoration needs. Each scoping task seeks to uncover the same underlying details about the building and its current conditions, including:

• Current Damage
• Content Conditions
• Health and Safety Hazards 
• Structural Repairs Needed 

What Can Our SERVPRO Team Provide Insurance Companies?

Your insurance company is not only for making damage claims easy, quick, and carefree. In many cases, you can get tied up in the processes and paperwork for days, all while your home's condition worsens. As a preferred vendor for many insurance companies in the area, we can directly reach out to them about what they require to approve your damage claim submission. Our initial inspection can provide several critical details, including:

• Estimations – Using software like Xactimate and other programs, we can maintain a concise and legible estimate of restoration and reconstruction services necessary after a fire loss. 
• Damage Assessments – A thorough inspection of the property is part of what your insurance company is looking for when they insist on professional evaluations. We catalog damage and losses to streamline the approval process. 
• Restoration Plan – Most insurance providers want to know the plan and suggested actions to return a property to preloss condition. Detailing this approach ensures that we can complete the restorative measures your house needs. 

Is Professional Assessment Faster?

Perhaps one of the most direct advantages to SERVPRO damage assessment and scoping of the job is the efficiency of this approach. With our experience in the fire restoration niche, we know the signals and signs to look for when structural elements become compromised or other conditions that threaten the home or occupants. DIY evaluations can easily miss subtle cues of more significant concerns, but with the advanced tools and technologies that are part of our inspection and assessment, we can better protect your residence and its contents.

The value of pre-job scoping of fire-damaged properties cannot be understated. Not only can this evaluation help to determine the specific restoration plan for your property, but it can also provide the appropriate information for your insurance company to aid in the securing of a damage claim through your provider for your property. Because of how quickly these situations can get out of control, it is critical to contact our SERVPRO of Northern Westchester County team as soon as possible at (914) 241-8100.