Property Restoration Can Be a Messy Business

2/4/2015 (Permalink)

Fire, Water, Mold damage and restoration.

Local disaster recovery specialist offers insight into the complexities of dealing with disaster 

Albany and Americus, GA October 9, 2014 - When disaster strikes, property owners need to make a lot of decisions quickly and under pressure. Effective disaster remediation involves a lot of moving parts:  remediation specialists, insurance companies, local codes, state codes, documentation and more—and all of this has to happen in an atmosphere charged with emotion and stress.

Benjamin Kyle Carter of SERVPRO^® of Albany and Americus says, “Efficiency is key when you are dealing with disaster remediation; it saves our customers money and it makes our work more effective. SERVPRO is an industry leader in work efficiency technology—continually innovating to help both our customers and our business control costs.”

SERVPRO’s proprietary DryBook™ tool is one example of the company’s focus on efficiency and cost control. Remediation projects must be managed to both industry and insurance company standards, and Carter says that tools like DryBook™  help SERVPRO Franchise technicians track and document progress on restoration, cleanup and repair services.  “The DryBook™ tool helps us deliver on every detail of every water damage job, every time,” says Carter.

To help avoid regulatory headaches and paperwork pitfalls, Carter suggests property owners consider the following criteria when choosing a remediation company to deal with the aftermath of a disaster. 

1.      Industry standards: Does your remediation company deliver a product that meets the standards set by

• The Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC)?
• Most major insurance companies, including cycle times and deadline requirements?

2.      Recordkeeping: Does your remediation company have a system in place to ensure accurate, complete and convenient benchmarking of each step of the remediation process, including

• Capturing and updating data, including job diary notes, electronically and real-time on the jobsite, with simultaneous updates saved at the central office?
• Using e-signatures to help eliminate lost paperwork and the need to scan documents?
• Providing a complete record of the damage and remediation efforts in images, with descriptions, start-to-finish? 

3.      Equipment selection: Does your contractor have the ability, on-the-spot, to

• Identify the right equipment for the job, based on the damage description?
• Validate the use of each piece of equipment, automatically, as part of the remediation records?

SERVPRO Franchise Professionals specialize in disaster restoration, cleanup and repair services, helping to remediate damage, making it “Like it never even happened,” for both commercial and residential customers. For more information on SERVPRO of Albany and Americus, please contact Benjamin Kyle Carter at (229) 439-2048 or kcarter@SERVPROalbany.com. For more information about SERVPRO, please visit www.SERVPRO.com.

About SERVPRO^® 

Founded in 1967, the SERVPRO^® Franchise System is a national leader and provider of fire and water cleanup and restoration services and mold mitigation and remediation. SERVPRO’s professional services network of nearly 1,700 individually owned and operated Franchises responds to property damage emergencies ranging from small individual disasters to multi-million dollar losses. Providing coverage in the United States and Canada, the SERVPRO System has established relationships with major insurance companies and commercial clients, as well as individual homeowners.