Home Insurance Emergency Services
Homeowners need immediate assistance and damage assessment when they experience an insurance loss. You also want a plan of action on the repairs that will have to be made, and where you will go during the repair period if your home is uninhabitable.
If you have experienced a broken pipe and you need assistance, immediately call a plumber. Water damage should be handled by a water extraction service. Wind damage can be repaired by a roofing contractor. These service companies can be easily located in your local telephone yellow pages. Be sure to ask these companies if they qualify to work with insurance companies, and what their experience is in doing so.
You must remember that most of these service companies demand payment immediately. This means that the money is coming out of your pocket before you can submit a claim to your insurance company. In other words, you are subsidizing your insurance carrier, wherein it should be the other way around. In a majority of cases the insurance company should be paying for your emergency expenses immediately.
You may also be inclined to contact a general contractor to repair or rebuild your loss. There are a number of differences between a general contractor and a restoration contractor. You may also be approached by what is known as a public adjuster. Beware!
Public adjusters are independents who generate their income by charging you, the homeowner, to adjust your claim. They are often aggressive disaster marketers, determined to arrive at your catastrophe even before emergency units arrive. They may also charge you anywhere from 15% to 50% of your claim, depending on the total amount. This means you will have to make up the difference personally to pay for their services. You may be losing in two ways: First, you will be paying a percentage for someone to handle your claim, which you could do yourself. Second, because you have already paid exorbitant fees to an adjuster, the reliability and professionalism of any contractor your hire will be limited due to the decreased amount of funds remaining to complete the work.
According to the general manager of Economy Restorations, a full-service restoration company in Orange, California: “qualified restoration contractors can save homeowners enormous amounts of time and money by acting as a liaison between he insurance company and the homeowner. They can also be the saving grace of a homeowner in distress-on the scene quickly to provide an emergency crew to secure the residence and make immediate repairs in order to void increasing the damage potential. Restoration contactors provide services such as a board-up of windows and doors, temporary roof coverings and, if necessary, secure the structure with steel beams. Furniture, carpet and upholstery may also be removed and emergency electricity added to provide temporary power if the occupants are to remain in the house during restoration.”
Even before the homeowner’s own insurance company is on the scene, the restoration contractor and his/her representative can quell the anxieties of the homeowner and begin the initial stages of recovery of the property.
A qualified restoration contracting firm can handle the devastating loss experienced by the homeowner no matter what the degree of damage. They can make life easier for the homeowner by bringing in the professionals that are needed to restore the house. The restoration contractor can arrange for painters, roofers, carpenters, and other specialists to perform work on the damaged house. Restoration contractors will also coordinate any additional subcontractors for the work to be done, and make sure that the people doing the subcontracted work are licensed, bonded, and insured, and will effectuate the repair of your home promptly.
Respected restoration companies usually look out for the best interest of all, including the home insurance company, and should be truthful in assessing the damaged items and replacement value needed.
Steps To Minimizing Home Damage And Disaster Recovery Home Insurance Quotes
Sometimes it is best to call upon a company that can handle emergency services (i.e. plumber, electrician, flooding experts, restoration contractor, etc) in order to quickly and efficiently minimize the exposed danger and to help reduce you from further liability and home damage. In the meantime, there are basic steps you can take to lower your home insurance claim amount by avoiding additional damage.
Investigate Damages
If your first assessment is that of severe damage, leave the premises immediately. Your first reaction to the severity of the damage is usually right. Don’t jeopardize your safety or that of your family. A large branch of a tree crashing down upon your roof can damage the internal components and structural support of the entire house. It is best to leave the house and go to a neighbor’s home or hotel until you can properly assess the damage.
It is also wise, at this time, to consider calling in a qualified restoration contractor or specific emergency service. Your choice is simple, either you and your family combat the disaster, such as a broken pipe or leaking roof, or you call in the experts.
A restoration contractor or an emergency service company can shut off water flow, cover the roof, extract flooded areas of your home, dry or remove wet carpeting, move furniture out of harm’s way, and more! They can also secure your home or business to prevent vandalism, trespassing, or any other condition that may hold you vulnerable to liability or affect the safety of others.
Mitigate Damages
To mitigate, according to Webster’s New World Dictionary, means to “make less severe, less painful.” To mitigate damages, in insurance jargon, is to use reasonable efforts to lessen the damages which have already occurred. Every insurance policy contains the express condition that the policyholder, upon suffering a loss, prevent further damage and to “mitigate” the situation. Generally speaking, your response to a loss will depend on the type of loss and the circumstances surrounding it.
Broken Water Pipe: This occurrence can happen at anytime. It doesn’t matter whether your home is old or new, piping within the structure can be a problem. Broken pipes can cause immediate flooding, damaging the contents and interior of your home.
Older homes utilizing galvanized plumbing components can age and deteriorate to the point that one day a rupture can occurs. Newer homes can have inadequately installed plumbing and piping which can cause leaks and pressure build-up resulting in fracture and flood.
When a broken pipe occurs, quickly assess the damage. Your primary response should be to turn off the main valve controlling the water flow into your house. A further step that should be taken to “mitigate” your damages in this case would be to mop up all exposed water and extract any water out of the carpeting to prevent further damage and avoid deterioration.
You should be prepared, in advance, to locate the water shutoff valve, and inform other members of your household how and where to turn off the water. There are a number of ways to curtail the flow of water to your residence.
- Valve nearest to the source of the broken pipe;
- Main input valve to residence; and
- Municipal shutoff valve at curbside.
Have the right shutoff tool handy. Most under sink and toilet shutoff valves have the common spindle-wheel type valve closure handle. But others, such as your main-to-house or municipal water shutoffs have slot-turn valves.
A medium size adjustable crescent wrench will be the best preparation you can have in case of an emergency of this sort. If a pipe breaks, for example, under a sink or toilet, the valve nearest to the break is probably the appropriate shutoff. Under each sink in your home is either a two-valve assembly or, in the case of a toilet, a one-valve shutoff.
Shut Valves Off Immediately By Turning In A Clockwise Motion. Sometimes valves can be hard to rotate due to calcium build-up from the water, but a little effort back and forth can loosen and fee them up enough to allow you to close the water flow in a clockwise direction. It is also a good idea to periodically maintain the efficiency of the shutoff valve by spraying a threading lubricant, such as the commercially available WD-40, at the valve stem.
Pipe break occurrences normally involved under sink piping and fixtures, kitchen pipes and garbage disposal in-flows, and hot water heating units. Pipes can also break within a wall, floor or ceiling. If this is the case, and there is no valve located near the break, you must then shut off water flow to the entire house.
Home and Municipal Water Shutoff
The main input valve to your home is normally located at the front or side of your house. You will locate this spindle-wheel valve close to the ground or possibly in shallow dirt directly below ground level. Again, a clockwise turn will shut this valve off completely, stopping all water flow to the household.
The municipal water shutoff, or the valve that comes from your city’s supply to your house, is normally located at the site of the water meter. Most urban areas have this valve and meter box located on the parkway or that portion o your property at the city boundary located at a street site. It is the location where city officials and meter readers periodically check and account for your water use. A medium-sized crescent wrench can be used to deactivate water flow, but if you have difficulty in closing the valve, call your city’s water emergency service immediately.
Photograph Damages
The best way, by far, to document any loss for insurance claim purposes is to photograph or videotape the damages. It is vitally important that you obtain well lit photographs/videos of the damaged areas.
Water damage may dry quickly, and if there is no confirmable evidence of the interior stains to your ceiling or walls, they could go undetected. Flooded areas subside eventually, and the power of a detailed photograph/video showing the immediate disaster may enhance your insurance claim immensely.
Always request double prints when you get your film developed and keep the negatives in a safe place. This way you will have one set for your file and another set can be sent to the insurance company.
List Damages (Inventory)
The sooner you can list or inventory the loss, the better. At the time of the loss you are more aware of what has been damaged and the cause of such damage. There are items or components that you may miss after a day or two of contemplating your loss.
Photographs are indeed the best evidence in any insurance claim, but a detailed inventory of damaged or destroyed property will eventually become invaluable in processing your claim. Perhaps you already have photos or video tape of your home to show the “before” condition of your home.
Home Insurance
After a major disaster or significant home damage, it is always best to review your home insurance policy and make sure you are getting the best coverage for your premium rates. Comparing your home insurance coverage to plans offered by other leading home insurance companies and getting a home insurance quote will help you figure out if your insurance rates are justified by the coverage and customer service you are receiving.
Landlord – 10 Steps To Getting Good Tenants For A Rental
The truth is that you have to be discriminating when you’re selecting tenants because you will find that some people are completely incapable of selecting their own living accommodations prudently. They think that a family of five, one dog, and one cat will fit comfortably into one of your one-bedroom apartments. To protect your real estate investment, you have to make the right decisions and avoid the wrong ones to keep your rental properties fully-occupied and generating income.
1. Prepare the dwelling for occupancy. Your job at this point is to fix up, paint, clean, and dress your rental property home or apartment to make it attractive enough so that a good prospect will want to rent it from you for the rent you want to charge. You will always attract the best tenants and get the most rent from a rental home that shows well and smells good.
Even so, don’t become overly concerned with sanitation or perfection when you are preparing a house for occupancy. Remember that you are appealing primarily to the senses of sight and smell. In this context, clean the appliances, stove hood, cabinets, and under the sink. Remove all non-adhesive shelf paper. Clean the showers, tubs, toilets, sinks, mirrors, and medicine cabinets. Dust the ceilings, baseboards, window sills, and closets, as well as wash the kitchen, bathroom walls, dry clean the draperies, etc. You get the idea, but just don’t go overboard. After all, you, the landlord, are not going to be living there.
In addition to preparing the place for occupancy by cleaning, make sure to make it smell good. Perfume the place by cleaning the kitchen and bathroom with a lemon or pine-oil scented cleaner, or use a commercial air freshener to make the place smell of honeysuckle, limes, or cinnamon. The sense of smell is very important. Those who study such things say that smell revives memories more than any of our other senses. Remember the wonderful aroma of homemade cookies and all the pleasant memories that go along with them.
2. Pre-qualify the prospects. This step is based mostly upon your tenant standards, whatever they happen to be, and consists of five or more determinations that can and should be made rather quickly, even over the phone, and will save you time, energy, and grief. This step serves to eliminate those people who are interested in renting from you but fail to qualify. You are prequalifying a tenant before showing them the rental property or having them fill out an application, so you won’t be frustrated to learn late in the process that they have too many people to fit into your rental or have pets when you don’t allow any.
You can’t very well determine at this stage whether someone will qualify according to all of your tenant standards. That questioning would be much too tedious to go into right now, and besides, it wouldn’t yield useful information anyway because there are certain things you need to observe and can’t ask about, like intelligent or cleanliness.
To avoid wasted time, effort, and possible embarrassment, you might prequalify prospects when you first speak with them by making these five essential determinations about them and their circumstances:
- When are they ready to move in?
- Whether they have enough money to move in and can afford a certain rent?
- Whether the number of people who intend to live there falls within your limit?
- Whether they have pets?
- Whether they operate a home-based business and what it may be?
If the prospects are not ready to move yet and your dwelling is ready for immediate occupancy, look for someone else in the meantime. If you require $750 to move in and they only have $400 to commit right now, don’t bother talking to them right now. If they are a family of four, and you’re looking for a maximum of three people, tell them.
However, unless you have a lie detector handy, establishing the truth regarding these particulars may take some time. Ask your questions in a subtle way not to demonstrate the answer you are searching for. Let them just answer the question and see where it goes. With all of these matters settled to your mutual satisfaction, invite them to take a look at the place.
3. Showing the rental home or apartment. This step requires no great talent or skills, but you might wisely employ a number of ideas to make showing the dwelling less troublesome and more productive.
- After you have prequalified those who call and express an interest in renting your available rental property, answer whatever questions they may have while they’re still on the phone, and explain exactly where the rental is located so they aren’t astounded by the neighborhood if it’s not quite what they had expected.
- If you’re an absentee landlord who rents out a house or an apartment complex which is located far from where you live or work, you’ll want to refrain from making repeated trips there. Do so by encouraging people to drive by the building first and then call back for an appointment to see the inside, or do so by holding an “open house” for showing your vacancy at designated hours for multiple people. Tell those whom you have prequalified, and save yourself many wasted trips and hours of waiting around for a specific caller who may or may not even bother to show up.
- While holding an open house may be a real convenience for a landlord, it also has the benefit of stimulating greater interest in the property. When several people show up and express an interest in renting a particular place, each one feels all the more interested just because someone else wants it. The open house creates a kind of “auction atmosphere” which sirs the bidders’ blood and puts you in command. You need not negotiate rent and conditions as some crafty tenants would attempt. You may be in a position to dictate rent and conditions and most importantly, the ability to be super-selective in picking the best available applicant.
- Also, never rent to any person who has not seen the rental property. Some prospective tenants will tell you over the phone that they want to rent your place without even looking at it. If they’re that eager, don’t insist that they see it, but don’t rent it to them immediately either. Be wary of the prospective tenant who does not appear in person but is being represented by somebody else, say a social worker, parent, friend, or minister. The prospective tenant could be an ex-con or a mentally incompetent person who may be a real threat to you or your other tenants. Insist that the prospective tenant appear in person, after all, should this person become your tenant, you will have to deal with him specifically.
- If possible, accompany your prospects on their tour of the premises rather than handing them a key and telling them to look everything over by themselves. Consider the showing as something of an opportunity to talk with the prospects and subtly learn more about them. If you can’t accompany them, take precautions about getting the key back promptly.
- Avoid mentioning whether any one prospect is the first person to submit an application. Many people believe erroneously that landlords have to check rental applications by sequence of submission. A landlord reviews a number of people for an available occupancy and considers each equally over a period of time or until the person best suited for the landlord’s management style comes along. But it is important to offer all visitors and guests to the rental property an application. Tell them that you will be accepting applications over the next few days, and after that, you will check each of them out and pick one. That way you avoid potential arguments over your reasons for refusing to rent to somebody, and everyone saves face.