Selecting a damage restoration company, what should you ask?

At some point in time nearly all homeowners will require the help of a damage restoration company. Fires, floods, sever storms happen but more likely are the routine isolated disasters, frozen pipes, busted water heaters. At some point in your life you will experience this and need the help of a damage restoration company. When your home is damaged and you need help you may be inclined to choose the first company who answers the phone.

Time is critical in these circumstances but so is hiring a qualified and capable company to help you out.

In the state of Colorado Damage restoration Companies are not licensed or regulated in any way so anyone can be in the damage restoration business. It’s up to the homeowner to ask the right questions and to choose a company that knows what they are doing and that can actually help get the job done and get the house back to normal as quickly as possible.

Here are some basic areas to investigate when you are talking with a potential restoration contractor:

1. Is your restoration company insured?

Be certain that the company has full coverage for liability and workman’s compensation. All of their vehicles should be covered and they should probably have an umbrella policy to cover anything else. Our company, Puroclean Disaster Response, carries Commercial general Liability coverage, automobile liability and we have an umbrella policy for anything outside that scope. We do everything we can to avoid causing further damage during the restoration work but in the event we do break a lamp or something you can be confident it will be covered by our insurance.

2. Is your company and are your employees bonded and background checked?

Colorado does not require any registration or licensing for restoration companies so the homeowner has to be more diligent, there are not state registration requirements to provide confidence. Ask if the employees and the company are bonded and if all the employees have background checks. If they are then you have an extra level of confidence that you are dealing with reputable people and that you can be confident in having them work kin your house.

3. What training and certifications do the restoration technicians have?

The Institute of Inspection Cleaning and Restoration Certification is the sets the best practices and training standards for our industry. To achieve a certification by the IICRC in a specific skill requires training courses, hands on experience and testing. If the technician has certifications in Water Damage, Advanced Structural Drying, Advanced Microbial Remediation, Fire Damage etc. then you can be confident they are trained to deal with your issues. Ask about the certifications. All of our lead technicians carry IICRC certifications.

4. Are your technicians available at all times?

These types of events can happen any time. Reputable damage restoration companies need to be able to respond any time of the day or night. Every damage situation requires immediate triage to contain the damage, stop it spreading further and start the restoration process. After restoration has begun continuous monitoring is required to ensure the mitigation actions are succeeding as expected. It is not uncommon that we will have to make adjustments to equipment or containment as we work through a project. We monitor every project every day to make sure progress is being made as planned. Every day, weekends and holidays included.

5. How long will the damage restoration project take?

We want to have water damage dried in 3-5 days normally. But more important is the transparency and honesty of your restoration company. The plan developed will be unique to your circumstances. Make sure the restoration company is open and honest about the plan. Clean up is messy and noisy and it will normally take up to 5 days. Take the time and have them explain their complete plan including the equipment they will be using, their plans to isolate the affected spaces and their plans for any demolition that may be required.
Remember; after the space is dry or cleaned or freed of mold there may still be rebuild activities that are needed. Make sure time estimates include all the work required.

6. Can the restoration company deal direct with your insurance company?

Qualified restoration companies deal with insurance professionals and insurance companies regularly and they are very comfortable talking to your company. But, make sure they keep you up to date about those discussions.

7. What about possibility of asbestos or lead?

When ceilings have collapsed or demolition work is warranted, we are required by law to have older homes tested for asbestos and lead before that demolition work can proceed. We will call in an independent testing company and normally have the results in 24-48 hours. We will protect your home and our team members from exposure to these substances.

8. What restoration experience do you have?

Ask them about their experience. Trained, certified professionals deal with multiple water/fire/mold issues every week. If you are careful in your hiring choice you should be well cared for and in good hands.

Whoever you decide to hire, make sure they are properly trained professionals. Read more about why you should hire a professional to deal with an emergency in this article.

Puroclean Disaster Response provides water damage, fire damage and mold remediation services to northern Colorado communities including Longmont, Loveland, Boulder, Arvada, Brighton, Lafayette, Louisville, Erie, Frederick and Firestone.  Our company is fully insured and bonded.  All of our lead technicians are IICRC certified and background checked.  We are certified by the EPA as a Lead Safe firm and certified by the state of Colorado in asbestos awareness.

If you hire PuroClean Disaster response you can have confidence that we are qualified and we will help you get back to normal as quickly as possible.

For qualified professional fire, water and mold restoration services, contact us; PuroClean Disaster Response: 720 773 3400