Q. Why call Damage 9 1 1 first?
A. Never before has there been a nationwide-based “Central Command” call center specifically created for property damage victims that instantly offers direction from experienced catastrophe adjusters to guide property owners through emergency situations, until now!
Damage 9 1 1 receives property emergency calls from anywhere in the U.S. and by asking a few quick essential questions Crisis Managers can then instantly dispatch every necessary pre-screened emergency service necessary based upon the location, and what services are necessary to mitigate your financial and physical damages based upon the type and scope of damage. Damage 9 1 1 Crisis Managers not only address physical damage mitigation but also go over any financial damage (out-of-pocket) possibilities and options thereof.
Crisis Managers who function as an “Interim Claims Adjusters” first assist the customer in determining if an insurance claim should be made then walk property owners through the basic ABC’s necessary to reduce recovery time based upon the possibility that the damage would/will result in a claim being made with your insurance carrier. Our mission is to provide a 21st Century damage recovery “stop gap” system we have proudly coined our “Claim Acceleration Package”.
Damage 9 1 1 now provides the fastest “qualified” pre-screened emergency property service network available. This makes Damage 9 1 1 a valuable asset and compliment to your Insurance Agent/Broker, your Insurance Carrier, the Insurance Company’s Adjuster but mostly by helping you reduce your inevitable out-of-pocket expenses!
Q. How does Damage 9 1 1 work with my insurance company?
A. This part we love! Inspired by the aftermath of the 5 hurricanes crossing Florida in 2004 we knew there was an answer to the antiquated and cumbersome19th Century insurance claim filing process. A substantial amount of property damage events occur without a response from an insurance company for as long as 96 hours, depending on what day of the week or which holiday the incident occurs. There still exist today a serious lapse of dead-air time between an incident and help arriving from the insurance company to the scene. If a plumbing leak occurs on a Friday morning most policyholders will not receive a call from their insurance company until sometime the next Monday. This lapse is not necessarily the company’s fault. Insurance company claims offices are closed on weekends (and holidays) and only a few insurance companies have an emergency claim backline staffed by other than experienced claims adjusters.
Enter Damage 9 1 1: Our years of guiding policyholders on the do’s & don’ts allow us to know exactly what services you need immediately and what tasks can be taken that will make the eventual insurance company adjuster’s job half as time consuming. This is what we call our “Claim Acceleration Package”! When your insurance company’s adjuster arrives they may have 50% - 75% of the loss documentation already neatly “packaged” thereby cutting their claim handling time on your loss and expense by as much as 75% in certain situations. This also reduces adjuster errors and allows the adjuster to do what they do best – package your claim report much quicker at their respective claims office!
Q. Who is Damage 9 1 1.com?
A. Damage 911.com is owned by Risk Mgmt Services, Inc and is located in Scottsdale, AZ. Our
executive directors and Advisory Board of Directors tout over 150 years of collective multi-lined coast-to-coast property, casualty, catastrophe claims, 1st & 3rd party consulting, substantial and complex class action lawsuit settlement administration and expert witness experience. Our management also includes backgrounds that include Director of Operations of a large Midwest EMS (Ambulance) Corporation, Residential & Commercial Dome Construction Corporation, Industrial Air & Gas Compressor Systems, Private Technical School Instruction and Oil Field Operations.
Q. Will my Mortgage Company’s name appears on all of my claim payment checks?
A. Yes for all payments made against your policy’s Coverage’s A & B (A = Dwelling, B = Other Structures (detached garages, etc)) when the dollar amount of payment exceeds the per occurrence deductible of let’s say $1,000.00 or greater. The minimal amount requiring the lien holder’s name on Coverage A & B payment checks vary from insurer to insurer. The Mortgage Company has a financial interest in your home’s well being and therefore is entitled to be listed a Co-payee listed upon Coverage A & B claim payments. Most often your Mortgage Company (Lien Holder) will require you endorsing the check first then sending the check to them to be the final endorser and on large losses. They will most often disburse apportioned payments to your “Licensed General Contractor” to assure all interested parties that repairs are performed to everyone’s satisfaction. Helpful Tip: When preparing to mail your check to your Mortgage Company call and get a direct line phone number and first/last name of the party you are sending the check to just so you have a trail to follow in the event the check is never received at the other end – this does happen.
For Coverage C (Personal Property or “Contents”) the property owner owns most of these items outright so therefore a Lien Holder (Mortgage Company) has no interest or financial rights to your “personal” property and would not be listed as a Co-payee on Coverage C, D or E claim payments.
Q. Can filing a claim raise my future premiums?
A. Yes – But,… By one merely calling their agent or insurer to inquire about a potential claim can automatically place their home, rental properties & cars all into a national claims database tracking system radar.
Most often when insured’s experience damage to their home they have no recourse other than to press forward with their property damage claim since most homes have a Mortgage Loan involved with their home. The Mortgage Company still owns a set of the front door keys to many homes and they have a financial right to make sure your and their investment stays in tip-top condition.
Q. What is the most common property claim?
A. Water damage. By our experience water intrusion inside one’s home is still the most common claim we adjust. Plumbing is still pretty much a fragile mix with building interiors but plumbing pipe materials have been advancing recently with the advent of the new “Pex” flexible plastic “potable” (pressurized fresh water) systems. We Adjusters have become used to nicknaming plumbing leaks “floods”. When we speak out in public of handling a “flood” claim this almost always refers to someone’s interior plumbing leak.
Q. What does a “Contents” company do?
A. Formally the word “Contents” that many know as furnishings actually refers to “Personal Property” or in the case of a Commercial policy as “Business Personal Property” (B.P.P.). A typical “Contents” company begins with offering water dry-out (structural) services then if needed begins moving your personal property up off wet floors or outside. In some cases it is necessary to remove your personal property to their warehouse for inventory, cleaning, repairs, storage or documenting that certain items are now un-salvageable.
Q. Are theft claims more complex to handle”
A. Yes. There are also more restrictions to the policy “coverage” and financial recovery regarding theft or vandalism claims. Insurance companies usually expect your claims adjuster to obtain a recorded statement from you then obtain a Police Report that indicates your claim of theft items and their stated value. Depending on the economy local Law Enforcement offices’ may likely be understaffed and overburdened with higher than usual thefts. This can cause great delays as insurers will not complete their investigation and make payments without a copy of the police report that states line by line what the policyholder has claimed stolen. Insured’s should always update the police report when they discover additional property stolen. Most insurers will only recognize stolen property as listed on your police report!
Q. Do I have to use a General Contractor?
A. No. It however IS necessary for you to protect your and your Mortgage Company’s investment by using a qualified General Contractor on complex or expensive repairs or construction when there are multiple trades required such as when a roofer, framer, and painter are required. One does not need a General Contractor when one trade such as a roofer is involved. Once repairs get into building code requirements then you should enlist a “Restoration” General Contractor.
Q. Why can’t I use a friend to make my repairs?
A. You can. Be careful as your “friend” may cause a great deal of time delays and added financial pressure on you if you have a moderate or large amount of damage. Anyone who does not have a great deal of experience in insurance claims processes most often creates more problems and slow-downs than it is ultimately worth! Using your next-door neighbor’s uncle’s ex-wife’s parole officer is simply just not a good idea! Leave insurance claims repairs to those with a long-standing reputation in this highly technical/political arena!
Q. Should I get 3 bids for repairs on my own?
A. Good question! In short – NO! Even though the property insurance claims process is quite complex compared to new construction or remodeling, this highly technical realm has been advanced by well-designed “restoration” estimating software programs. Even on large fire damage losses the 2 most advanced software estimating systems used by field adjusters usually arrive to a remarkably close dollar amount even when used by two different seasoned property adjusters. You should never need to go out and obtain 3 bids on your own. When a property owner does go and solicit bids on “restoration” they most often will get an absurdly wide dollar range of bids because vendors outside of this highly technical realm just don’t have the expensive software systems that provide actually a quite impressively accurate line-itemized estimate package.
Q. What is a Property Adjuster?
A. A Property Claims Adjuster works on Property Insurance policy claims. These policies are the typical Homeowner & Business Owner claims where structural damage has occurred to a home or building. Property Adjusters who work at an insurance carrier are called staff adjusters. Property Adjusters who work for Independent Adjusting claims offices are often multi-lined and are often called Property & Casualty Adjusters. Property Adjusters examine your policy coverage’s and are expected to address the cause of loss, the policy effective dates and estimate “covered” structural damages. Most Property Adjusters don’t get into estimating Personal Property or as we often call it “Contents”. Most Property Adjusters just don’t have the resources or time to count the smoke damaged toothpicks in someone’s kitchen cabinet. These Adjusters have enough responsibility in dealing with fire damaged structure, getting the policyholder into temporary housing, enlisting Cause & Origin Experts (Arson Investigators), forensic engineers for damaged framing, and so we Adjusters generally allow a “Contents” company to come in and start identifying, inventorying and do a “pack-out” of those little smoked toothpicks and such.
Q. Why should I use a “Restoration” General Contractor?
A. These specialists in the Fire & Water damage repairs have much more to deal with than new construction contractors or remodelers. These Restoration Contractors have to deal with repairs involving lead paint, asbestos, mold, biohazard remains, smoke, odor, settling and such. These different scenarios often require a Restoration Contractor work in concert fashion with Biohazard, Abatement and/or Remediation testing & contractor firms in tandem. Restoration Contractors typically remove a huge amount of stress off of the property owner and for several reasons. These contractors already understand the claim handling processes, the somewhat confusing multi-payment process and most often will float huge amounts of work in progress on their nickel and not yours! They also have an incentive that regular contractors just don’t: To satisfy YOU, your adjuster and the insurance company! Vendors outside of the insurance claims realm just don’t have the incentives to go to this length of customer satisfaction!
Q. Do I have to use my insurance company’s service vendors?
A. NO. When it is your damage, your home, your insurance policy, your premium payments, your insurance company has little voice in what company you use. We suggest always that you enlist parties who are well experienced and qualified in the insurance claims process. We adjusters offer this advice day in and day out, yet many homeowners just have to use their best friend’s next-door neighbor’s “contractor” only to find out the hard way that this was a very unwise decision. If you use someone not properly qualified or licensed then you could lock horns with your Lien Holder (Mortgage Company) as they still have a vested interest in the well being of your property and have better attorneys than the typical homeowner!
There are certain pitfalls that many don’t consider when venturing away from the realm of reputable Restoration General Contractors. During times of local economic downturn many General Contractors will simply run out of money midway through about 3 – 4 ongoing projects until the morning the crew shows up and the company office sets empty with locks changed. You don’t want this to happen during your repairs!
Q. How does the typical claim process work?
How does the typical claim payment process work?
How does the typical claim repair process work?
A. Damage 911 has created pages available for our fellow claim adjusters and policyholders that explains how Claim payments are separated and paid in portions per Coverage’s. How the repair process works, and how the typical claim process works.