If your home has experienced water, smoke, fire, or mold damage to the extent your insurance company is involved, the odds are good that your insurer will suggest a remediation company to perform any necessary restoration work. But do you need to go with their recommendation? The short answer is no.
While an insurance company may recommend a restoration company to you, in nearly all cases you’re entitled to go with whomever you feel most comfortable with. Just like you can hire your own plumber, electrician, or other home improvement contractor, you’re free to bring on your preferred home remediation company. And you can do so without incurring any out-of-pocket expenses, as most remediation companies work directly with insurance carriers for reimbursement.
If you’re searching for “a remediation company near me,” here’s everything you need to know about how choosing your own contractor can be the wisest decision.
Dispelling the Biggest Remediation Company Myth
When disaster strikes your home, you want quick remedies for getting it back to its previous condition. Whether the damage is caused by fire, smoke, water, and/or mold, the effects can be devastating. So, the sooner you act, the better.
That doesn’t mean, though, you should immediately jump on board with the remediation company your insurance company suggests. While there are some insurance company-affiliated restoration companies that are experienced and reliable, there can also be problems whenever you work with an insurer’s “preferred contractor.”
Here’s a look at some of the reasons you should think twice before having your home repaired by your insurance company’s recommended remediation and restoration company.
5 Reasons Not to Use the Restoration Company Recommended by Your Insurance Company
The leading reason insurance companies recommend preferred contractors in the first place is they want to increase efficiency and reduce payouts. Sending out their vendors helps them achieve both goals. But here’s why that’s not always in your best interests.
1. You Don’t Know the Details of the Relationship
When insurers recommend one of their “preferred contractors,” the designation alone can lull many homeowners into a false sense of security. Preferred is a positive word, right? So the company must be pretty darn good at what they do. But consider another scenario, one where the owner or manager of the insurance company is related to or a close friend of the contractor who owns and operates the remediation company. That relationship could be the sole reason the insurer “prefers” that particular vendor. Whether they do a good job or not is a secondary consideration at best. And that means you miss out on having the best remediation work done at your home.
2. The Contractor’s Loyalty Lies With the Insurer, Not You
While all remediation companies want to maintain good relationships with insurers, when you choose to work with an insurance company’s preferred contractor, they’re typically more concerned with pleasing the insurer, not you. That can lead to things like cost-cutting measures that leave your home vulnerable to future damages. A professional remediation company chosen by you puts your interests first. They want to make sure you’re happy and protected so you’ll recommend them to others.
3. You May Not Get the Most Comprehensive Restoration
This point ties in with the one above. Because the preferred contractor makes the insurance company’s needs a top priority, the remediation services you receive might not include all needed repairs to bring you home back to peak condition, even if they’re covered under your insurance policy. And because insurers are always looking for ways to minimize costs and payouts, things like code upgrades may be left out. There are plenty of other areas, too, where you might get short-changed, all because the insurer wants to come out ahead financially.
4. You May Be Just Another Number
No one knows how long a home restoration project will last. Preferred contractors often move quickly from one job to the next, sort of like an assembly line for insurers. When you hire your own remediation company, you can count on it giving your home the time and attention needed, no matter how long the repair and restoration process takes. Because they take great pride in their work and want to earn your respect and loyalty, they’ll provide you with stellar service. So, unlike with insurer’s recommended contractors, you’re not treated like just another number.
5. Your Options Are Limited Should Something Go Wrong
No matter which remediation company completes your home’s restoration work, there can be issues that develop during or after the process. Something may be accidentally overlooked, or there may be post-remediation mold growth. When you’re locked in with the insurer’s preferred contractor, you may find it difficult to get help dealing with these problems.
Can You Trust An Insurer’s Preferred Contractor?
Sometimes you don’t know the answer to that question until after the job’s complete! If you feel comfortable with the recommendation, you may find yourself agreeing to it in the interest of expediency. But you’ll need to remain vigilant and know how to hold the contractor accountable. That means learning about all the services available to you, which equipment is best for different tasks, and so on. No matter which route you take, be sure to choose a well-respected remediation company that can begin repairs promptly to avoid issues like mold damage.
What You Should Expect From a Remediation Company
If your Central Florida home has suffered water, fire, mold, or smoke damage, you deserve the highest quality remediation services available. Central Florida Restoration Solutions provides water damage restoration, mold remediation, fire damage recovery, and smoke damage solutions that ensure your family and home are protected. Our more than 25 years of experience providing remediation services makes us the “preferred” choice of homeowners throughout the area. And because disasters can strike any time of the day or night, we also offer 24/7 emergency services to ensure the remediation process begins as soon as possible.
Cleaning up your home after a disaster means dealing with a host of hazards, including:
- Mold
- Contaminated water
- Animal and insect infestation
- Structural damages like sagging ceilings, holes in walls and roofs, and buckling floors.
The faster the remediation process begins, the sooner you can minimize further damage and return your Central Florida home to its previous condition.
Water Damage Restoration
Water damage occurs when a roof is damaged, your home floods, or there’s a plumbing leak, the most common cause of water damage. Left untreated, you could end up with extensive mold and bacteria growth that poses serious health issues. The skilled technicians at CFRS will expertly determine what needs to be done to mitigate further damage and get the drying out and sanitation processes started. They’re also trained to quickly identify which of the three categories of water damage your home is experiencing and can immediately get to work restoring your home’s healthy environment.
Mold Remediation Services
Mold spores naturally exist everywhere. But when they grow out of control and spread throughout your home, you and/or other people can start to experience mold-related health and home issues like sneezing, watery eyes, and coughing, or a musty odor permeating your living areas.
Once you’ve identified a mold problem in your home, it’s imperative to remove it quickly and thoroughly. While it isn’t possible to entirely remove mold from inside the home, the goal is to get the mold spore level back within a normal range.
CFRS has the experience and expertise needed for proper mold removal. We use a comprehensive and highly controlled cleaning process that uses state-of-the-art equipment and the latest mold removal techniques. We start the process by addressing the underlying issue, such as a leaky roof or pipe. We then isolate any mold growth before we begin any demolition, cleaning, and drying. Materials affected by mold are removed from your home and sent for specialized cleaning or disposed of. All visible traces of mold are removed a special spray is used to clean surfaces. Lastly, we use air movers, dehumidifiers, and moisture meters to perform the drying process.
Fire Damage Remediation Services
A fire’s speed and ferocity can cause enormous damage and loss to your home. CFRS provides fire damage restoration services designed to ease the emotional and financial struggles caused by a house fire. We work quickly to stabilize your home after a fire, so smoke and acidic soot corrosion and deterioration are limited, making it possible for you to recover as much of your personal property as possible. Our fire damage recovery services include mitigating further damage, performing smoke damage cleanup, and providing water restoration services if the fire department extinguished the fire. We also help you assess whether certain items should be replaced rather than restored.
Other fire-related services we perform include emergency board-ups, deodorization, and demolition. Everything we do is focused on bringing your home back to its former glory so your family can resume everyday life.
Smoke Damage Remediation Services
A healthy home is one with clean, breathable air. Our smoke damage restoration services are designed to eliminate pervasive foul odors by pinpointing where the smell’s coming from and finding the best solution to eradicate it. Our deodorizing and neutralizing process ensures your family will soon be once again enjoying fresh indoor air. Our four-step process includes:
- Inspecting and securing the property.
- Preparing an inventory of each affected area and item and determining which ones can be saved or restored.
- Removing all smoke-damaged items in preparation for reconstruction.
- Replacing removed items.
Choosing a Remediation Company
As a homeowner, it’s important to know you have the right to hire your own remediation company after a disaster. As you make up your mind about whether to go with your insurer’s “preferred provider,” be sure to do your research, ask questions, and look at the recommended company’s website and reviews. You’ll then be best equipped to make an informed decision.
Here are some questions to consider while doing your research:
- Does the company recommended by your insurer provide all types of damage remediation, including water, mold, fire, and smoke damage?
- Do they offer a full range of services, including water removal, moisture monitoring, cleaning, sanitizing, and drying?
- Do they perform pre-restoration repairs to floors, ceilings, and drywall?
- How many years of experience does the company have?
- Is the company local? That can be important if you need follow-up work.
- Do they respond immediately? Some companies that answer to the insurer follow the insurance company’s schedule, not yours. Post-disaster, you deserve a remediation company that’s available 24 hours a day and can quickly start the restoration process.
- Are they properly insured, licensed, insured, and certified in Florida?
- Does the company use advanced tools and technologies to locate damage like mold that’s invisible to the naked eye?
- How many and what type of online reviews does the company have? Do past customers mention things like prompt, friendly, and professional service?
Why Choose Central Florida Restoration Solutions
Decades of experience, skilled technicians, and specialized tools and technologies are just a few of the reasons to choose CFRS. We know that water, fire, smoke, and mold damage are often just the start of serious problems that can affect your entire home, destroy personal property, and pose serious health risks. Because we’re certified in multiple disciplines, we’re uniquely qualified to help make the home disaster remediation process as stress-free as possible.
You can depend on CFRS to:
- Quickly respond to your home disaster emergency, 24 hours a day, every day of the year.
- Expertly clean up damage from fire, water, smoke, mold, and more.
- Return your home to its pre-loss condition as quickly and thoroughly as possible.
- Work closely and professionally with your insurance company.
- Keep you informed of our progress every step of the way and provide you with clear documentation of our results.
No matter what type of damage your Central Florida home has suffered, the professionals at CFRS are ready to help. To learn more about our home remediation services, contact us online today or call us at 407-988-6101.
