Don't come up short on insurance when it matters!

Are You Ready for This..................

or This...................

A recent article on Yahoo! touched on some good points regarding homeowner and condo insurance. As fire and water mitigation and restoration professionals we see homes that have significant damage yet do not have enough or the right coverage under their policy. 

It's not rare to receive a call for service, assess the damage and find their policy does not cover that type or all of the damage. Many homeowners incorrectly assume everything, from mitigation to drying and even the rebuild is covered under their policy. Never assume everything is covered, always ask your insurance agent and make sure you have the right kind of insurance and enough insurance. 

You might think...."I can't afford flood insurance or sewage back up insurance". The out of pocket cost of just cleaning up, drying and sanitizing your home after a large water or sewage loss will cost much more than the savings over the years by not having the proper insurance. Trust us. We see it every day.

Glad I didn't park in that spot!

A few weeks ago I was awakened to a loud crash. I looked out my apartment window and saw this.....

Yes, that's a tree that fell right across an intersection damaging the minivan to the left (you can make out the driver side door on the left). 

The weather in Chicago has been interesting to say the least this summer. We had week long stretches of 90+ heat with rain coming in short and sometimes violent bursts. I can recall several blackouts because of storms that have hit the area however no large storms that also saturate the ground with rain. This is a very good thing. I can remember the past few summers where we also had extreme storms that not only caused blackouts but also dumped so much rain it caused flooding and sewer backup all over Chicago. 

So far, Chicago has escaped severe flooding and any rain is quickly absorbed by the parched ground. Weather is unpredictable and were here if you need us. 

Servpro Emergency Ready Profile (ERP)

A fire or flood can devastate any home or business. In fact 50 % of businesses may never recover or reopen after suffering a disaster. Servpro has a solution to prepare our community in the event that such a loss would happen. It's called the Servpro Emergency Ready Profile or ERP.

The Servpro ERP is a detailed emergency ready plan that incorporates important contacts, phone numbers and pictures. The report is simple and loaded with pictures of important areas.

What you get:

Shut-off tags

                    

Minutes can make a difference when dealing with water damage. The longer the water is flowing the greater the damage. I will find and tag all water and gas shut-offs in the property and include pictures with instructions if needed.

Utility locations and shut offs

The ERP will contain  facility details such as shut-off valve locations, priority areas and priority contact information.

Full customization

No two properties are exactly the same. Each ERP is customized to include information that is important and relevant to your needs. Only include the information needed or include additional instructions for specific emergencies. 

Want multiple copies? No problem. 

Want it converted to PDF and loaded into your smart phone? We can do that.

Want a copy on a flash drive for your office? We can handle it. 

No Cost Evaluation

That's right, you get a profile of you property for free! No cost to you in any way and no contract to sign obligating additional services. If you use the ERP as a reference for contact information that's great, but if you do have a need for our services we would like you to call us directly for quick priority service. 

The Servpro ERP can save your business in case of emergency. We have seen losses that could have been a quarter of the damage had someone known where the vital shut-off locations were. Don't let this happen to you, call me for a free consultation (773-878-5200).

Regards, 

Dan

RibFest 2012

RibFest was a great experience. It was really nice to get out and meet the people in the North Center neighborhood this past weekend. We had plenty of frisbees and wet wipes to cleanup after eating those ribs as well as other giveaways. 

While some people recognized the Servpro brand others were unfamiliar with who we are and what we do so overall it was a great awareness and branding success. I spoke to several homeowners who wish they knew about us when they had water damage in the past but now they know who to call. 

Dan

"Storm Chasers" Part 2

At Servpro of Ravenswood we prefer to work directly with insurance companies and their independent adjusters. We have built good relationships with both local agents and also with their corporate offices. In fact, a portion of our calls and business come directly from some of the largest insurance providers in the country.

We have handled jobs that were signed but for whatever reason the homeowner cancelled the work so we stopped and simply left the job site. We understand that homeowners should be comfortable with the people and company working in their home or business. The homeowner is always right and in the end it's their home. 

Servpro of Ravenswood isn't going anywhere and were looking to build on our reputation (check out our Yelp rating and Better Business Bureau) as trusted fire and water restoration professionals. We realize that chasing and pressuring vulnerable and possibly traumatized homeowners after a disaster isn't going to further our reputation. I have seen fire losses in the city with three to four public adjusters and restoration companies literally circling the home waiting to talk to the homeowner or insured with a clipboard in hand. Meanwhile the people who lost their home are staring at their loss and should really have time to think about their next step and most likely call their insurance agent for direction. I've also seen restoration contractors  walking on the street towards a still smoldering fire with fans in hand ready to set up. The firemen weren't even finished!

We value our partners in the insurance industry and want to keep that relationship open and trustworthy by performing a valuable service for their homeowners. Period. 

"Storm Chasers" Part 1

This recent USA Today article on storm chasers was very interesting. The Iowa legislature is considering a bill that would provide homeowners the power to cancel and protect themselves against "storm chasers" as the article calls them. Basically homeowners would have the power to get out of contracts that may have been signed on site shortly after damage to their home.

Here in Illinois we have a similar bill that was passed into law last fall. For an overview click here. House bill 3034 enables the homeowner in Illinois to:

• cancel a contract up to 10 days after signing with a refund from the contractor.
• contractor must provide information and a form to cancel services
• roofing contractors especially must provide their license number on all paperwork and bids. 

What is a "storm chaser"? 

Basically someone who targets an area that recently experienced a storm that may have caused damage such as roof damage, siding damage or flood damage among other types of damage. Storm chasers usually knock on doors with the intention of signing restoration contracts. Usually these are public adjusters (insurance adjusters that are not affiliated with any insurance company) or contractors that want the homeowner to sign a contract with their company before the homeowner has a chance to contact any other contractor. The homeowner has the right to choose whoever they would like to handle the repairs however if their insurance policy does not cover the loss or only parts of the claim then the homeowner could be stuck with a bill at the end of if all.

Don't know about you but I would want to talk with my insurance provider so I understand what is covered under my policy then make sure a reputable contractor is referred to do the repairs.

In part 2 learn how Servpro of Ravenswood works with adjusters, insurance companies and homeowners.

Servpro of Ravenswood at Ribfest Chicago.

Next Friday, Saturday and Sunday (June 8,9&10) Servpro of Ravenswood will be at Ribfest 2012 in our North Center neighborhood. Everyone at Servpro of Ravenswood is excited to get out and meet our neighbors  in North Center and of course eat some ribs. 

I'm looking forward to working the event along with some of our staff so if your in the area please come by and say hi. Oh, we'll also will have plenty of wet wipes on hand so you can clean up after devouring those tasty ribs. 

On a side note, Chicago in the summer is one of my favorite times of the year. The winter months are behind us and there are so many street festivals and events happening nearly every weekend. If your in the city check them out, some are free or cost a small donation. 

See ya at Ribfest!

Dan

Meet the owners Tom and Steve

The owners, Tom (right) and Steve (left) saw the need for a Servpro franchise in the City of Chicago and opened Servpro of Ravneswood. Previously Steve has owned several businesses including restaurants and has a background in reconstruction, contracting, project management and cabinet making. Tom worked as a technician for Kodack for thirteen years and also has a background in contacting, restoration and cabinet making. Both Tom and Steve are certified with The Clean Trust (formally the IICRC) and Steve is also a certified in subrogation.

So if you see either of these guys come by the job site remember to say hi.

Servpro of Ravenswood-The FIRST Servpro in Chicago

Servpro has been around since the 1967 and has a franchisee network of over 1,500 locations nationwide. Servpro of Ravenswood is proud to be the FIRST Servpro location owned and operated in the City of Chicago.

Our office, warehouse and production staff all live or have lived in Chicago and are familiar with the challenges that come with working on restoration jobs in a big city. From working downtown in the loop to high-rise condos to simply navigating the best way around the city's notorious traffic we can handle it. 

Chicago Area Flood Map

If you live in the Chicago land area you know the past two summers have seen some heavy rain storms. I remember our office getting calls nearly ever minute requesting service. Servpro of Ravenswood literally received hundreds of calls over those first two days.

We noticed certain areas were affected more than others. The map below is from an article in the Wells Park Bull Dog that does a nice job illustrating where basements are more prone to flooding. This is pretty consistent with what we saw last year in June and July.

If you have property in the areas with a high risk of basement flooding it would be a good idea to look into adding sewage backup or flood backup to your current policy. You might be surprised to find out you are not covered for certain types of damage under your regular homeowners policy. If you can't afford to add sewage backup or flood coverage at least make sure your sump pumps are working properly and have a secondary power source in case of a blackout during a heavy rain storm.

Does it matter where the water came from?

YES! One of the first things a professionally trained water restoration technician should know is the category of water that caused the damage. There are three categories of water:

Category 1

This is basically clean water. Sources can range from a broken pipe, icemaker and drain over flow among other sources. Category 1 water is classified as not containing waste or contaminants.

Category 2

This is gray water. Sources can range from washing machines, dishwasher and roof leaks among other sources. Category 2 water is classified as containing some soils and contaminants. 

Category 3

This is black water. Nasty stuff. Sources can range from sewage drain backups, backed up toilets and flood water among other sources. Category 3 water is classified as containing a high degree of waste and contaminants. 

Knowing the category of water present is important in determining the drying methods that can be used to safely and quickly restoring the damaged area. 

Knowing how "wet" something is makes a big difference.

Water flows towards the path of least resistance, therefore it can sneak under flooring or run along walls into neighboring rooms causing further damage. If moisture isn't dried properly your home or business can run a greater risk of mold and mildew damage later. At the very least, untreated water damage can cause musty odors and warping of flooring.

Any reputable restoration company should be using a moisture meter to measure the amount of moisture in walls or flooring. Simply touching the surface can be very deceiving as our sense of touch is not sensitive enough to correctly know how wet something is. A typical moisture meter looks something like this:

The two prongs at the top will detect the amount of moisture present and some meters also have a non-penetrating feature that when touched gives a reading. Having the correct moisture detection equipment is the first step in starting the restoration process. 

For more information check out the Clean Trust (formally the IICRC) website and Servpro of Ravenswood.  

Servpro van's: Past vs Present

Well, if we had orange rims I'm sure we would get some attention on the road!

Below is our Servpro of Ravenswood van you might see on the road around Chicago land.

What is Servpro of Ravenswood??

Thanks for taking some time to check out our blog!


Servpro of Ravenswood is a full service emergency fire and water restoration company located in the city of Chicago. Basically we handle situations that may permanently damage your home or business and restore and reverse the damage so you can get on with your life. 


The purpose of our blog is to provide accurate information regarding the services we provide, give updates on our industry and also have a little fun. 


Dan 
Servpro of Ravenwood