Emergency Response Hotline 888.327.9664
At some point in your business life, you will experience water damage to your store, factory, or office. Your two best partners are your knowledgeable insurance agent and a top quality commercial restoration team. Both groups understand your business risks and have tools to prevent and mitigate losses to your business after water damage. The two most powerful tools you have are 1) a proper insurance and a 2) the team with the tools and experience to clean water from the workplace.
Proper Commercial Insurance Coverage
After unwanted water floods your workspace, the first question you have is whether your business insurance policy covers it. Unfortunately, the answer to that question, as it is to so many questions about insurance, is “it depends.” Start with “What was damaged?”
What was the source of the water damage? Burst pipes, rainstorms, sewer backups, hurricanes, river overflows or other? Most commercial property insurance policies exclude coverage based on the type of incident that caused the damage. For example, a standard property policy may cover damage from burst pipes but not from sewer backup, flooding, or rainwater. And many policies exclude mold-related damages for all kinds of reasons.
In the United States, flood damage is not covered by private insurance. It is, however, covered by flood policies issued by the National Flood Insurance Program. This is a government-backed program that offers low-cost policies to both commercial and residential property owners.
In addition to a standard commercial property policy and a national flood policy, you can also purchase add-ons called endorsements (or “riders”) to your property policy for additional coverage. A strong relationship with your insurance agent will generate a fuller understanding of which riders are available at what cost.
Water Extraction Expertise
The second bit of advice (after having appropriate insurance in place before water damage), is to act promptly after you suffer a loss. Your office computers, machinery, furniture, and inventory may be salvageable but time is everything after water damage. Depending upon the source of the intrusion, the water may contain chemical, biological or physical contamination.
Dirty water can cause additional property destruction or illness. The longer standing water remains in place, the higher the potential level of damage to the property and cost for restoration. Water or moisture left untreated for more than 48 hours will create problems with mold, mildew, and bacteria.
Remedying with structural drying and dehumidification depends on factors such as the category of water and type of construction; different walls and flooring finishes require different strategies. A clear understanding of the science behind the evaporation process, not just an understanding of the tools is required. The best drying strategy is a balance of experience with the science-based variables. In addition, URI technicians are mold experts who monitor and manage moisture conditions to virtually eliminate the possibility of mold growth after the completion of a drying project.
Business Continuity In Philadelphia
Unlimited Restoration can help you recover quickly after commercial water damage. Not only can they offer water damage restoration, water extraction, and general restoration services, they can coordinate with insurance companies so you can focus on getting your business back to normal.
Helping a business to a quick, safe return to operational status is the highest goal for Unlimited Restoration, Inc. It is a clear differentiator of what really sets URI apart from the competition. Through a combination of expertise, experience, and capability, URI is able to get businesses back faster than other restoration contractors. In many instances, this means finding a way to set up unique or temporary operations to allow work to go on and buildings to be occupied while restoration is in progress. Ultimately, this means less interruption and disruption, lower cost and lower claims.
A key part of business continuity is planning. In addition to the response, URI also helps companies plan and prepare for the unknown. Disaster Planning and Training can be proactive planning from the ground floor– or simply an expert review. In addition, the PREP preemptive disaster response program is available to gather and store building-specific information that will help responders in the event of a disaster.
Call the emergency response hotline at 888-753-7587 or visit urinow.com
