If you are like the majority of Florida business owners, your property is your lifeblood. When your business property experiences any type of major damage; such as a loss from fire or water damage, it doesn’t just affect your building and inventory. Major damage will stop business in its tracks. It will inhibit your ability to conduct normal operations. Of course, this causes the loss of income. If you have employees, they will be out of work for as long as it takes to repair or rebuild, losing much-needed income to support themselves and their families. The challenge of rebuilding could be long and daunting.
On top of that, you face the task of preparing and submitting a complicated claim to your insurance company. If you have never experienced Florida business property damage, the insurance claim preparation will be unfamiliar and rough terrain.
Immediate Steps to Take
The very first step a Florida business property owner must take once major damage occurs is stated in your insurance policy as, 1. Prevent injury, 2. Protect the property from further damage. You are required to secure the property to prevent additional problems, like looting, and to protect the property against further damage from the elements. If you do not take these steps, coverage on the resulting loss might be denied by your insurance company.
This article from Adjusting Today is a great reference for business property owners on damage. Here is a great quote from that article, “Controlling access to the premises is also a must. It may be prudent to hire guards to protect the property and prevent curiosity seekers from becoming injured. If the building is unsafe, you may need to demolish risky areas to avoid further damage and possible injuries. You might also consider moving undamaged inventory to another location to prevent exposure damage or theft. Special attention should be given to saving irreplaceable property such as books, manuscripts and the like. A plan should also be developed to protect your operations and market, including notification of the loss to your customers, banks, and suppliers. This plan should include a public relations program, with one spokesperson, to keep all stakeholders and the general public informed. It is important that you be the first source of information for your customers and the media.”
You Need a Public Adjuster: Florida Business Property Damage
Unlike residential damage insurance claims-which are pretty straightforward-for a Florida business damage claim to end up as a successful insurance settlement, there are details that must be considered. Especially if you plan on returning your business to pre-loss condition. Just a few things to consider are; bylaws and insurance statutes that apply only to businesses in Florida, business interruption, value depreciation, and property tax reduction.
Once you realize how complicated the process is going to be, you will understand the immense value of hiring a public adjuster. Any business owner who has been through a major damage claim will tell you the same thing. Otherwise, you are going to feel like the real damage was not the fire or water, but the post-damage experience of trying to get your insurance company to pay up.
Call Noble Public Adjusting Group the minute you discover your business damage. We will navigate what can become murky waters the insurance company can create. They don’t like paying big business damage claims. In fact, the opposite is true. They will do everything in their power to find ways to deny your claim or pay out as little as possible. After all, isn’t the insurance company a business too? What are businesses about, if not profit?
Noble is the #1 public adjuster in Florida and the #1 insurance appraiser in the nation. You can see a list of our locations here. We are concentrated in the Florida Panhandle but can handle a claim anywhere in the US. Once you hire us, the business of handling your insurance claim lies solely with us. That way, you can concentrate on doing what you do best, running a successful business, and watching as your property becomes indemnified, returning to its profitable, pre-loss condition.
(850) 249-MY-PA
Noble Public Adjusting Group