Temporary Repairs and Tornado Insurance Claims

10/23/2019 (Permalink)

SERVPRO of Richardson is locally owned and operated. We have restored thousands of properties in our 30+ years of disaster restoration experience.

The Texas Department of Insurance’s Guide on Temporary Repairs

Temporary repairs to a property that has been damaged are encouraged by homeowner’s policies.  The Texas Department of Insurance states:

Make only temporary repairs to protect your house and belongings. For instance, board up broken windows or put a tarp over a damaged roof. Don’t make permanent repairs. The insurance company might deny your claim if you make permanent repairs before it sees the damage.

Why Temporary Repairs are Needed

When major disasters happen, there are usually many home and business owners contacting their insurance companies.  The increased number of calls can translate to a lengthy wait period as insurance adjusters are assigned different claims and schedule visits to everyone’s properties.  In some instances, an adjuster may not be able to visit a property for weeks. 

Waiting for an adjuster’s visit to start temporary repairs puts a property at risk of additional, secondary damage.

Call Your Insurance Company

Your insurance company knows what is detailed in the homeowner’s insurance policy you’ve signed.  Give them a call to talk about you hiring a reputable restoration company to start temporary repairs. 

Your insurance company, by law, must honor your choice of cleanup, restoration, and construction company.  Choose a company you know and trust, and let your insurance adjuster know who you have chosen.  

Temporary repairs include:

Roof Tarping

The goal of a roof tarp is to prevent weather and other objects from getting inside the property.  A roof tarp can cover a small section of a roof to almost all of a roof. The roof tarp should be waterproof and thick enough to withstand wind and weather elements for weeks.  

Roof tarping should only be completed when weather conditions are safe for the installers.  

Once your claim has been approved for permanent roof repairs or roof replacement, the tarp will be taken off.  Be prepared to have your tarp on your roof for an extended period of time.

Board-Up or Boarding Up

Sheets of wood are attached to the outside of your property to cover broken doors, windows, and damaged outer walls.  Like roof tarping, the purpose of boarding up your property is to prevent weather from coming in; it will also help deter theft.

Any portion of your home that required a board-up needs to be reconstructed.  This step will be done after your claim has been approved by your adjuster. 

Temporary Repairs Companies 

During disaster situations, many companies offer their services.  It’s common for news sites and the state to warn people against using individuals or companies without a reputation or paying fully upfront for services.   Sadly, many past disasters have caused these types of warnings to be necessary.  

When choosing a company to work with, we recommend asking yourself:

• Can you find them online?  Reputable companies should be easy to find, and their websites should be professional and up-to-date. 

• How easy are they to contact? Call them.  If they don’t answer immediately, keep looking.  Even a busy company will answer their phone and address you. 

• How long have they been in business?  A disaster isn’t the time for on-the-job training.  Choose a company that has had past experience and success. 

• Do they have agreements with insurance companies?  The best companies are trusted enough by the insurance industry to have vendor agreements with them.  These agreements help protect homeowners from unfair pricing. 

• Are they local?  If you only want to work with a company that you know lives in your hometown and is easy to get a hold of, check out where they are from.  Many companies travel from out of town and stay only while they have work. If you do choose an out-of-town company, make sure they can still serve you even if you need more helps months from today. 

• Are they full-service?  Most companies only offer one or a few services.  Using a full-service restoration company will mean you only have to work with one company to get your property fully put back together.  Working with one business is usually less stressful and can make the work done on your home more efficient and cost-effective. 

Tornado Cleanup and Restoration Services

A full-restoration company should be able to offer you the following services you may need to fully restore your home after a tornado. 

• Temporary Repairs - roof tarp and board-up.

• Moving Service - they will inventory your home’s contents, pack them out, and take them to a long-term storage facility where your items will be cleaned and secured until you are ready to receive them again.

• Long-term Storage - preferably, the company themselves will own the storage locations.  This makes it easier for you to ask them for an item’s retrieval. 

• Debris Removal - they should remove all trees and trash from your home and haul it away.

• Reconstruction - they should have a team to rebuild any part of your home that was damaged.  Look for a company with a dedicated Reconstruction Manager that will be your point of contact. 

• Clothing and Textile Cleaning  - if they clothing, stuffed animals, blankets, sports equipment, etcetera was affected, they should be able to take your items and clean them.  Many companies also offer you an emergency wardrobe, where they will clean wash-and-fold items and return them to you within 1-3 days. 

• Water Damage Restoration - in the instances where the home was also wet, the company should perform water damage restoration tasks to secure the home and dry it.

SERVPRO of Richardson: Full-Service Restoration

SERVPRO of Richardson has over 30 years of experience in disaster restoration.  We are a locally owned and operated company in Richardson, Texas.  We live and work in our hometown, and we’re always available when our neighbors are in need of help.  

We’ve restored thousands of properties, and our team is experienced in processing insurance company claims.  

If you’re in need of help after the Dallas tornado, we’re here to help. 

Contact us for guidance or a free estimate.  We’re a full-service restoration company, and we are available to clean up and restore your property from start to end.