844-MY-BULLDOG

First Steps

Fire, Water & Mold Loss

Experiencing fire, water or mold damage can be daunting.  How you react as a property owner or tenant can make the difference between saving your contents or structure and losing them. Below are a few steps you can take to effectively protect yourself in the event of a loss.

---

First Steps

Step 1 - Photograph the Loss

Photographing the loss will save you money. Extend photographs to the entire room, personal contents and any affected materials. These photos can be the difference between getting reimbursed for your loss and not. The longer the paper trail, the easier it is to recoup your losses. Contents inventory starts with a photograph!
​

Step 3 - File a Claim

Insurance companies are there to protect you in the event of a loss. They cover the cost of mitigation and restoring your property to pre-loss conditions. Filing a claim and receiving a claim number is the first step in getting things back to normal. Remember to ask for your claims adjusters' information so that you can schedule a time for him/her to inspect your property.

Step 2 - Fix the Source

Insurance companies will pay to restore items and structure affected by the source (broken pipe, loose shingles, ect.). The insurance will generally refuse to fix the actually source though. Call a professional to patch or repair the source of the damage to prevent further issues and allow the restoration company the opportunity to begin right away.​
​

Step 4 - Hire a Restoration Company

Bulldog Cleaning & Restoration is trained to deal with the situation you are in. Our company can provide you with a safe place to store your contents, mitigate the loss by preventing secondary damage and restore your property to pre-loss conditions. Bulldog Cleaning & Restoration deals directly with the insurance company and will provide you with all the tools needed to survive this difficult time.

Two Parts to Restoring Your Property

Their are two parts to any loss - Mitigation and Restoration.

Mitigation - the act of preventing secondary damage. In a water loss this means removing standing water, protecting contents and unaffected areas and drying out the structure. Most of the time during a mitigation the restoration company will submit an invoice and get paid directly from the insurance company.
​
​Restoration - The second half of the process is the restoration. In other words it's the "put back" work. This is usually completed after the insurance company agrees to the scope of work and sends the property owner a portion of the money. The property owner has the option to use restoration professionals or personal contractors to restore the property back to pre-loss condition.

​*No two losses or insurance policies are the same. Situations vary with loss conditions and the process can sometimes be altered.  Above is a general description of the process in basic loss conditions with applicable insurance policies.

Public Adjuster - Friend or Foe?

The role of a public adjuster is to ensure the property owner receives the maximum amount owed by the insurance company. This service is usually acquired for a percentage of the total claim amount so it's in the best interest of the public adjuster (PA) to maximize the claim. Some PA's tailor their services to provide other options for the policy holder such as room and board, referring contractors, and overseeing the restoration process. Utilizing a PA can sometimes take the claim longer to reach settlement. This means it may take longer to receive your reimbursement check and get your property put back together. When hiring a public adjuster, shop around as no two PA's charge the same fee or offer the same expertise.

---