Understanding the Insurance Process
Property damage is stressful, but you do not have to manage the recovery process alone.
When damage occurs, your first priority is protecting the property from additional damage. Americon Restoration can:
Inspect the affected areas
Identify immediate risks
Document the damage
Begin necessary emergency mitigation
What Should the Homeowner Be Doing?
As the homeowner or business owner, you will typically want to report the loss to your insurance carrier and receive a claim number, an assigned insurance adjuster, and instructions regarding the next steps in your claim.
Need help filing the claim?
We can help you make the initial call. Your insurance company ultimately determines whether the loss is covered under your policy.
You, the Property Owner:
You own the insurance policy and make the decisions regarding your property. Your responsibilities may include reporting the claim, providing your claim information, choosing the restoration company you want to work with, communicating with your insurance carrier, and paying your policy deductible.
Your Insurance Company:
Your carrier reviews your claim and determines what is covered under your policy. The insurance company typically assigns an adjuster, reviews your policy and coverage, evaluates the cause and extent of the damage, reviews restoration documentation and estimates, determines covered damages, and issues payment for approved portions of the claim.
Americon Restoration:
Our job is to protect your property, document the loss, perform the restoration work, and help keep the process moving. We can inspect and document the damage, perform emergency mitigation, take photos and moisture readings, maintain equipment and drying records, prepare scopes and estimates, provide documentation to your adjuster, answer questions regarding the restoration work, coordinate mitigation and reconstruction, and help you understand what happens next.
What Does the Insurance Adjuster Do?
Once your claim is filed, your insurance company will typically assign an adjuster. The adjuster responsibilities are to:
Insurance companies rely on detailed documentation to understand what happened, what work was necessary, and what repairs may be needed. Depending on the type of loss, Americon Restoration may provide photos of the damage, moisture readings, equipment logs, drying reports, damage documentation, scope of work, repair estimates, and additional restoration-related information. Good documentation helps create a clear record of the loss and the work necessary to restore your property.
Need Emergency Help?
For over a century, Americon has been a family-owned company dedicated to preserving the integrity and beauty of homes and businesses. Founded by our grandfather in 1912, we have passed down a legacy of craftsmanship, commitment.
Stop the Damage. Mitigation is the emergency work performed to stop or limit additional property damage: water extraction, structural drying, dehumidification, removal of damaged materials, cleaning, containment, emergency board-up, and temporary protection of the property. The goal is simple: stop the damage from getting worse.
Restore the Property. Once mitigation is complete, repairs can begin: drywall replacement, flooring repair or replacement, painting, cabinet replacement, carpentry, roofing repairs, and other necessary structural or cosmetic repairs. The reconstruction scope is typically prepared and reviewed separately from mitigation before repair work moves forward.
Once your insurance company reviews the claim, it will determine what damage is covered under your specific policy. The amount paid may depend on the type of coverage in your policy, the cause of the loss, your deductible, the approved scope of work, and other terms and conditions of your policy. If the damage is covered, the insurance company will issue payment for the approved portion of the claim. Mitigation and reconstruction are often handled as separate portions of the claim.
Who receives the payment? It varies. In some cases the insurance company sends payment directly to the restoration company for approved work, and the homeowner remains responsible for the deductible and any non-covered costs. In other cases proceeds are issued directly to the homeowner, who is then responsible for paying the restoration company. Payment procedures vary by carrier, policy, and claim.
Understanding Your Deductible
Your deductible is the portion of a covered loss that you are responsible for paying under your insurance policy.
Example:
Approved mitigation work $10,000; policy deductible $1,000; insurance portion $9,000; homeowner responsibility $1,000. This example is for illustration only. Actual coverage, deductibles, payment amounts, and claim settlements depend on your individual insurance policy and your carrier's coverage determination.
Fire, water, storm, or another property loss occurs.
We inspect the property, identify immediate risks, and document the affected areas.
Need help? We can help you make the call.
You contact your insurance company and receive a claim number and adjuster.
Americon performs the emergency work necessary to control the damage, such as water removal, drying, cleanup, containment, or property protection
Your adjuster reviews the claim, documentation, damage, and scope of work.
Once reviewed and approved, your carrier processes the covered mitigation portion of the claim, subject to your deductible and policy terms.
A detailed scope and estimate for reconstruction is prepared and reviewed as a separate portion of the claim
Once the repair scope is ready to move forward, Americon schedules the work and begins restoring your property.
One of the most frustrating parts of a property damage claim can simply be understanding what is happening and what comes next. Americon Restoration works directly with insurance companies and adjusters to help keep the restoration process moving by providing documentation, answering adjuster questions, coordinating next steps, helping you understand the restoration process, and keeping you informed throughout mitigation and reconstruction. Our goal is to help reduce confusion and stress during an already difficult situation.
Common Questions About the Insurance Restoration Process
You generally have the ability to choose the restoration company you want to work with. Your insurance company determines coverage under your policy, while you choose who performs the restoration work on your property.
Yes. If you have not reported the loss yet, Americon can help you make the initial call and provide information regarding the damage.
No. Your insurance company determines coverage based on your policy and the circumstances of the loss. Americon provides documentation and information related to the property damage and restoration work.
Possibly. Depending on the claim, your adjuster may visit the property, review documentation remotely, request estimates, or ask for additional information.
Mitigation is emergency work intended to prevent additional property damage. Waiting to address water, moisture, contamination, or other hazards may allow the damage to worsen.
Yes. Mitigation addresses the immediate damage and stabilizes the property. Reconstruction addresses the repairs needed afterward. They are often reviewed as separate portions of an insurance restoration claim.
It varies. Payment may be issued directly to the restoration company or to the homeowner depending on the carrier, policy, and claim.
The homeowner is generally responsible for their policy deductible and any work or costs that are not covered under the insurance policy.
Ask your carrier for the denial reason in writing and review it against your policy. Common reasons include the cause not being covered (such as flooding under a standard policy), missed documentation, or late reporting. You can appeal with additional documentation, and Americon can help supply the restoration records that support your case.
Simple mitigation claims can be reviewed in days; full claims involving reconstruction often take several weeks. The biggest delays come from incomplete documentation, which is why thorough photo, moisture, and drying records from the start keep things moving.
Have Property Damage? Start Here.
When the unexpected happens, you do not need to understand the entire insurance process before asking for help. Americon Restoration can assess the damage, protect your property, document the loss, begin necessary mitigation, communicate with your adjuster, and help guide you through the restoration process from start to finish.