Ask These Questions Before Hiring a Fire Restoration Company

8/29/2021 (Permalink)

Dealing with fire damage to your property is stressful. Let us clean and restore your property "Like it never even happened."

A fire disaster is one of the most devastating things that could happen to your home or business. In an emergency, things move quickly, and you may find yourself with unanswered questions. Whether you need fire restoration services, or are preparing yourself for the worst case scenario, you've come to the right place.

Before you hire a fire damage restoration company, here are five questions you'll want answered before anyone sets foot on your property.

1: Do I have to hire whatever restoration service my insurance recommends?

In short: no. While your insurance company may recommend a service provider, you are under no obligation to hire them. Some service providers, including SERVPRO of North Hollywood, work closely with insurance companies to streamline the cleanup process. But ultimately you should be comfortable with your restoration provider. Choosing an experienced, professional team helps to ensure your peace of mind in a difficult time.

2: Do I have to file an insurance claim?

In most cases, we recommend filing a claim and working with your insurance company throughout the restoration process. Fire damage restoration can be costly, after all. But we will work with a property owner if they choose to pay for the cleanup and restoration services out of their own pocket. That said, it is impossible for us to estimate the cost of our service over the phone. A technician will need to inspect the damaged area to understand the full extent of equipment, manpower and time necessary to do the job.

3: How long will the restoration process take?

Like estimating the cost, it can be tough to determine how long the fire damage restoration process will take. It depends on the extent of the damage. But here are some of the factors that can affect the length of the cleanup and restoration process:

1. Is there water damage? If first responders used water or fire suppression chemicals to put the fire out, you'll need water damage restoration services. We'll need to dry out your carpet, floors and furniture to reduce the risk of mold growth.
2. How big is the affected area? Cleaning smoke and soot off walls, ceilings, floors and furniture takes time. The bigger the affected area, the longer it takes.
3. Are there lingering smoke odors? We'll need to deploy air scrubbers, ozone generators and other tools to remove it.
4. Are construction services required? If the fire damage is serious, we may need to tear out, repair and restore walls and other structural elements.

4. Can you give me some references?

Every professional damage restoration company should be able to provide you with references. SERVPRO of North Hollywood proudly displays testimonials on both our website and Google. But if you'd like to speak with a former customer about their satisfaction with our damage restoration service, we'd be happy to arrange it.

5: Can I enter or occupy my property during the restoration process?

Sometimes. It depends on the extent of the fire damage. Our first priority is your safety. There could be any number of hazardous places in your home or business as we clean and restore it to it's preloss condition. So it may be possible, but we would evaluate it on a case-by-case basis.

Need Fire Restoration? Call SERVPRO of North Hollywood!

Dealing with fire damage to your property is stressful enough without feeling left in the dark. Since 2007, SERVPRO of North Hollywood has been the local damage restoration provider of choice for thousands of home or business owners across Los Angeles. We're here to help with an emergency response, 24/7. Let us clean and restore your property "Like it never even happened."