A catastrophic home disaster, such as fire damage or a flooded home, can be emotionally and financially daunting. We personally empathize with what you and your family are going through.
 

You may be perplexed about what to do now. With questions like:



 

  • When to call my insurance?
  • Is the repair covered in my policy?
  • How much do I have to pay out of pocket?
  • Is it safe for me to stay, or should I relocate
  • Who's qualified to repair my home?
  • What to do when there's damage to my home?


 


Hire a local restoration company that quickly responds and work with your insurance

 

HOW TO DEAL WITH MY INSURANCE COMPANY


For your convenience, you may download and printout our Insurance Guideline:

Mako Restoration specializes in assisting with your insurance claims and an optimal path to restoring your home after a disaster from start to completion. At Mako Restoration, our job is to thoroughly clean and sanitize, help obtain the necessary information and evidence, help you with the claims process, negotiate and settle with your insurer, and restore your home.

8 STEPS ON DEALING WITH YOUR INSURANCE


We need to take a few steps before we can start cleaning up and restoring your home. Before you can proceed,

there are a few steps we need to adhere to. Remember, take plenty of photos, keep tight records on the people involved and the claims process.

1. IS IT AN EMERGENCY? HOW TO RESPOND?

Quickly respond to any emergencies. Such as:
 

  • All occupants are uninjured, unharmed, and are free from danger.
  • If your home is on fire, call 911 immediately.
  • If a pipe had fractured and water is spewing out, flooding your home, turn off the waters' main supply.
  • If your home is flooding from a river and cannot safely relocate, and position yourself to the highest point, e.g., top floor or roof.
  • If you are in any danger or someone's hurt, call 911 immediately.
  • If you believe unsafe to be there, leave the home

WHAT SHOULD I DO WITH MY BELONGINGS AND ITEMS?

Emergencies must be responded to first and foremost; your possessions and items can wait.

You may enter the house and gather your possessions when the fire department or restoration company deemed it safe to go in. A proper inspection is needed to clear out the possible water and smoke residue that could threaten your health.

2. DAMAGE ASSESSMENT

Safety is a priority before handling any assessment. Having all persons considered for and safe, please do not enter your home until it's safe to do so; You may have to find a place to stay until it is truly safe

Get a conception of what had happened and what's been damaged and destroyed. The restoration company will execute a comprehensive assessment to assure your safety as well as the data needed for your insurance.

You'll have to execute an Initial Observation. Assess your home as safe as possible.

Answering some of the questions below will help you provide the proper information to the restoration company on the assessment before their arrival.

  • Did fire, water, mold occur? Or a mixture of these?
  • Will there be a potential for mold?
  • What area of the home or building most devasted by the damage?
  • Is your home exposed and compromised to any possible weather damage (Damaged roof, fractured windows, crumbled walls)



Take Plenty of Pictures and Videos; this will improve your claims money. The restoration company will also be taking several photos of the damage before, during, and after the cleanup.

If you feel like you hadn't taken enough photos, no worries.

AVOID cleaning up; big mistake most homeowners make.
If you start the cleaning up process without properly documenting the damage, this will most likely hurt your claim and quite possibly even get it denied.

3. CONTACT YOUR LOCAL RESTORATION COMPANY

AVOID calling your insurance before talking to a reputable restoration company; unfortunately, yet again, most homeowners do. It is necessary to call your insurance company, but there's a good reason why calling your local restoration company first would be your best outcome.

Reasons:

  • Deductibles on damages that are under the repair amount.
  • Increase in rates and potential of a canceled policy from past claims

After you work with the restoration company on your initial assessment

all you have to do is call in the claim

WHAT SHOULD I DO WITH MY BELONGINGS AND ITEMS?

Calling a restoration company first will take all the stress from dealing with the people and the process.

You have the right to choose your provider; some insurance companies will pressure you to choose a 'preferred provider". Be very hesitant when going this route; it may not be in your best interest.

Several key reasons why you should be hesitant on moving forward with a preferred provider:

  • They may have exclusive pricing compromises with the provider
  • The providers interest lies with the insurance company, not with you
  • They will undervalue the price since they work for the insurance company
  • Since the value of claims money is lower, the quality and craftsmanship may be impacted as a result

TIPS ON CHOOSING THE RIGHT RESTORATION COMPANY

Do your research and determine what company you consider is best for you and your home.

Upon research, do a query on Google for the pertinent disaster or repair - such as 'mold remediation' + your home's location

ex. mold remediation lafayette, la

Things to look out for:

Do your research and determine what company you consider is best for you and your home.

Upon research, do a query on Google for the pertinent disaster or repair - such as 'mold remediation' + your home's location

ex. mold remediation lafayette, la

Things to look out for:

  • Look at the reviews on Google My Business.
  • They provide a 24/7 response.
  • Consult on Insurance Claims
  • Review the local reputation
  • Speedy Response
  • Are Certified with IICRC

4. CONTACT YOUR INSURANCE

The restoration company should be at your location within the same day. This should give you some time to wait for the restoration company to arrive and assess and start documenting the damage before contacting the insurance.

If you and the restoration company decided on moving forward with insurance claim,

it's time to contact your insurance.

4 THINGS YOU NEED TO PREPARE FOR

  1. gather as much evidence as possible,
  2. get estimates,
  3. insurance adjuster interview
  4. negotiate your claims

WHAT ABOUT MY INSURANCE COVERAGE? AM I COVERED FOR THESE REPAIRS?

It depends on your policy and what it covers. Most of the time, homeowner policies cover water damage that has occurred from inside the home as well as fires. But some policies do not cover problems such as mold from an aging home or leaky pipe, flooding from the environment like a storm. Depending on the flood zone, most home mortgages in Louisiana do require flood insurance.

Your insurance agent should know the details of your policy and help inform you about your coverage.

How much is covered depends on what the insurance adjuster determines by examining the type, severity, source, and cause of the damage?

OTHER THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT

Of course, wait for a restoration company to advise you, but don't wait too long to call your insurance company. After the restoration company consults you on what to do with the insurance company, immediately call the insurance. Your claim could be rejected if you wait too long.

Make sure your chosen restoration company shows up quickly and provide you the follow-up with the insurance in a timely fashion.

Your insurance may compensate you for lodging and living costs should your home be deemed unsafe or unlivable.

Expect a somewhat lengthy process as well as claims resolving within a week to eight weeks. Due to time constraints, the best possible advantage is to work with a restoration company.

Having the right restoration company will help you get the most out of your insurance claims money.

5. GATHER INFORMATION ABOUT THE DISASTER AND DAMAGE

While the restoration company begins the cleanup process. Which should be all dealt with by the restoration company and should never be performed yourself. It could be unsafe, especially with the presence of mold or soot from fire damage.

During this process, please gather all the evidence to get the most out of your insurance claims. Procure all the before photos, and such examples include:

Water damage photos, have photos of stagnant water (precaution: stagnant water often ends up contaminated and are often full of bacteria) from the catastrophe, drenched carpets, photos during the cleanup (provided by the restoration company), and photos after the cleanup and removal of affected areas.

ADDITIONAL DOCUMENTS MAY BE NEEDED, DEPENDING ON THE CLAIMS, SUCH AS:

  • Police, fire department reports
  • Moisture levels
  • Dehumidifier levels
  • Mold testing results
  • Some damaged areas or items may need to require more details than usual.

This is a crucial step in maximizing your claims. Having a thorough set of evidence is your best assurance.

6. MEET WITH YOUR ADJUSTER

The insurance company will send out a person to assess your claims. It's hard to say when the adjuster will arrive; expect that they could come within a couple of days to a couple of weeks after submitting your claims. It mainly depends on the adjuster's schedule, how many adjusters available, and the current workload.

How much your insurance company should compensate will be determined by the insurance adjuster.

THE INSPECTION INCLUDES

  1. A visit to examine the damage (including cleanup) to your home.
  2. Analyze and identify the cause as well as the source of the damage.
  3. Then see if you are covered within your policy.
  4. The claimant (homeowner) and other witnesses will be interviews in regards to the disaster.
  5. Obtaining police reports and pertinent information

7. NEGOTIATING YOUR CLAIMS

Keep in mind; the insurance adjuster is working for your insurance company. They will suggest an amount that your insurance will payout. We can negotiate their recommended amount, so this is where you, the homeowner need to work with the restoration company representing you on your behalf to provide a higher (more fair) estimate that you deserve. The final amount will typically be resolved where two parties would agree on the negotiated estimates. That is why it's crucial to obtain as much evidence as possible.

8. RECEIVE CLAIM MONEY

Once a final agreement is made, you will receive a check on the claim you are entitled to. This is where you may proceed with the restoration.

YOU WILL RECEIVE YOUR CLAIMS IN A FEW WAYS

Once a final agreement is made, you will receive a check on the claim you are entitled to. This is where you may proceed with the restoration.

  • The check is often made out to you and the mortgage company if you have a mortgage over $10,000
  • You will receive a check if you (the homeowner) owns the home.
  • At times, a check may be written out separately for repairs and directly to restoration companies for emergencies.

IT'S TIME TO REPAIR, RESTORE, BUILD, UPGRADE

Once you've received your claims, this is where we begin the restoration process. Check out some of our restoration services below learn more about the different repairs and restorations we provide: