COVERAGE A: BUILDING

COVERAGE B: APPURTENANT STRUCTURES

COVERAGE C: PERSONAL PROPERTY

COVERAGE D: ADDITIONAL LIVING EXPENSE, LOSS OF USE AND RENTAL LOSS

EXTRA EXPENSE: COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH TEMPORARY AND PERMANENT RELOCATION

BOILER & MACHINERY: DAMAGE CAUSED BY EXPLOSION OR IMPLOSION OF EQUIPMENT

BUILDERS RISK: PROPERTY UNDER CONSTRUCTION

WATERCRAFT – PLEASURE BOATS

YACHTS – POWER & SAIL

COMMERCIAL OCEAN MARINE – FISHING VESSELS, TRAWLERS, LARGE

VESSELS, OIL RIGS, ETC.

INLAND MARINE: TRANSPORTATION, CARGO, BRIDGES, TUNNELS, ETC.

The proper interpretation and analysis of your insurance policy is crucial in any loss recovery. We utilize our vast knowledge of "contract" and "insurance contract" law to understand the strengths and weaknesses of your insurance policy as it relates to your current property loss.

We have found that the insurance policy language can be difficult to understand or interpret for many of our clients. If you are not well versed in insurance contract law you may find it difficult to understand the rights and coverage available to you, under your specific insurance contract and how this coverage relates to your specific insurance loss. In addition our analysis of your insurance contract will also identify your obligations to the insurance company as well. This is usually defined under the condition portion of the insurance contract “ Your Duties After Loss”.

Our experts with vast knowledge of insurance policy language and insurance contract law will review your entire insurance contract in an effort to outline and detail the specific coverage available to you and explain any restrictions or limitation of that coverage.

Finally, we will ensure that your insurance company will fulfill all of its obligations to you under your specific insurance contract.

Once we have been engaged, we will not only inform you, but also assist you in the compliance of all of your obligations under your insurance contract. This valued service ensures that our client’s responsibilities under their insurance contract are fully met, and that there is no breach of the insurance contract, which could jeopardize or limit our client’s recovery.

Each insurance policy includes a section which lists the duties and responsibilities of the insured after a property loss. If these obligations are not completed or fulfilled by the insured or met in their entirety, it may possibly jeopardize a portion of the claim payment, or even void coverage in some extreme instances. The insured has a contractual responsibility to fulfill these obligations to the insurance company completely.

By engaging us to represent your interests, you not only get the confidence of working with an experienced seasoned professional, but piece of mind that your settlement will not be jeopardized or limited in any way by any act, error or omission of you, the insured.

It is imperative that we gain access to the loss location to complete a preliminary assessment on all facets of your loss immediately, prior to the insurance adjusters initial inspection.

By allowing us the opportunity to get an in depth knowledge of your damage and loss exposure, prior to your insurance company, it benefit’s you, our client, greatly. In addition it also allows our firm and our experts the time necessary to process our initial findings into report form and gather the necessary supporting documentation to confirm the values included in these initial reports.

Our loss experts complete these preliminary reports as a tool to be utilized by our expert adjusters in preliminary negotiations. These preliminary negotiations include, but are not limited to achieving reasonable reserve values, advance payments, future actions to be taken by both the insurance company and our firm as your legal representative.

The reserve value constitutes the approximate total value of loss to the insurance company. The insurance company adjuster will be responsible to report back to the insurance company a reserve amount. By us providing the insurance adjuster a valuation and substantiation of loss values at our initial inspection which encompass the maximum loss value, the adjuster will be inclined to submit a higher, more accurate reserve value rather than a lower, inaccurate reserve value, which could result in a reduction of your maximum recovery, certainly it will result in additional time delays in attempting to raise a low or lower reserve.

A request for advanced payment will be made upon our initial inspection of the risk with the insurance company adjuster. These advanced payments will be necessary to offset additional expenditures our clients incur as result of their loss, such as Temporary Repairs to Building, Cleanup, Personal Property and Business Property Repairs and Replenishments, Relocation, Business Income Loss, Etc.

We pride ourselves on having developed a long list of experts and/or associates that excel in their specific fields and professions throughout the nation. The combination of a professional public adjuster and our associates expertise in documenting and establishing maximum loss values guarantees our clients will recover the maximum value of their insurance claim.

Building experts, cleaning experts, structural engineers, mechanical engineers, environmental experts, industrial hygienists (Mold), forensic engineers, inventory experts, salvers, accounting experts, forensic accountants, attorneys, marine surveyors and all types of other professionals as they relate to each specific loss.

The loss valuations completed by our many experts are submitted in many ways based on the type of property being evaluated. Two of the most common reports completed on behalf of our clients are the Building Damage Appraisal & Personal Property Damage Appraisal. The insurance industry dictates the manner in which these reports should be completed and presented as a formal claim filing. We have provided below, a brief analysis as to the mechanics in production of these reports.

Initially it starts with our experts initial inspection of risk, which produces a scope of damage and/or scope of repair. In addition to the scope, our experts also complete interior and exterior Diagrams/ Blueprints of the building depicting accurate measurements of floors, walls, ceilings and roofs. Finally our experts then complete a photo analysis depicting the specific damages addressed in the scope of repair as documentation to support allowance. These details are then drafted in appraisal form utilizing state of the art computer software systems. The final product will include a room by room, detailed itemized scope and value of repair inclusive of all cost for your state and local, including but not limited to Debris Removal, Permit Fees, Architectural Fees, State Tax and Overhead & Profit calculations.

Most contractors are not insurance restoration experts. They may not be knowledgeable as to how to restore specific damage related to water, heat, smoke and others. In addition, they may not be aware of “Hidden” damages that need to be treated or restored by utilizing specific methods of restoration. Their proposals may lack the detail and documentation necessary to substantiate your loss to your insurance company. They will also prepare their proposals on the basis of competitiveness in effort to win over the job rather than the maximum amount recoverable for the repair. This would result in the work not all being completed. They will not be able to assist you with other facets of your building loss such as calculations of Depreciation or Co-Insurance and the many layers of related policy "mumbo jumbo".

One other common report completed by our experts is the Personal Property Damage Appraisal and Business Personal Property Damage Appraisal. Our inventory personnel complete the reports initially. This list will address a physical listing all damaged inventory items to be included for repair or replacement. Our personnel then works from these lists to complete a typed report based on a line-by-line, itemization of the damaged property. Once the itemization has been completed our staff will work closely with you, your staff and business associates (if applicable) to evaluate the cost of repair or replacement inclusive of shipping charges and any addition charges for the damaged items.

Also we will assist your office in gathering documentation to support those value i.e. invoices, purchase records, banking records, accounting records, etc. Additional experts may be required to provide expert testimony and analysis on specific merchandise to comment on damage, restoration and/or replacement of specialty items.

Economic Losses: Additional Living Expense, Loss of Use, Rental Loss, Business Income, Extra Expense, etc.

Collectable Losses: Antiques, Fine Arts, Jewelry, Furs, Fire Arms, Specialty Items, etc.

Specialty Property: Commercial Stock, Landscaping, Marine Property & Equipment, Automotive Property & Equipment,  Aviation Property & Equipment, Specialty Electronics, etc.

All other claim preparation and additional formal filings for other types of Damage Appraisals and Property Loss Reports are usually completed in a specific report form. This form again is in form and content dictated and accepted by the insurance industry as a standard. In addition all of our Damage Appraisals and Property Loss Reports are filed along with supporting documentation to substantiate the cost and loss values included on these reports.

Many of the reports we complete for property damages require a calculation of depreciation, as are required under most insurance contracts. Our related knowledge of the type of property that was damaged calculate depreciation values and in effort minimize depreciation levels deducted from claim settlements. Depreciation is not applicable to all property, however it is applicable to most as it relates to age and deterioration of the property prior to loss. We negotiate the amount of depreciation deduction in almost every insurance recovery with insurance company personnel on some level. Some policies are ACV only and therefore the difference between RCV and ACV (Depreciation) is never recovered by our client and can result in thousands of dollars in lost recovery if inaccurately over applied.

Depreciation is even applied if you have purchased Replacement Cost Coverage. The calculation of depreciation is held-back from the initial recovery and the ACV is paid only. Once repairs or replacement of property have been completed and our client is able to document payment for those repairs we will complete a Replacement Cost Filing on behalf of our client in effort to recover the full amount of RCV.

There may also be many investigative reporting requirements to consider to not only document your loss and value, but possibly to substantiate for the insurance carrier that coverage is applicable under your insurance contract:

Cause & Origin Investigation, Mold Analysis & Abatement, Site Analysis & Investigations, Arson Investigations, Lab Analysis Studies (Mold, Chemical, Smoke), Forensic Studies, etc.

If required, our office has at its disposal the above referenced experts to assist you and our office in quickly formulating a correct evaluation of a loss and its cause. This will not only help ensure a maximized, but an expedited insurance recovery.

We have developed unique skills, as well as a finely tuned expertise in negotiating the maximum settlement on behalf of our clients. Our firm’s expert negotiations start from the minute we are engaged by our client, these negotiations continue on a daily basis until the conclusion and final settlement. We have successfully negotiated property claims of all types and sizes, caused by all types of weather and non-weather events, on behalf of our clients nationally and internationally, by all types of insurance entities national and international.

Our expert negotiations start immediately, with our first meeting with your insurance companies claim personnel our company representatives). We quickly establish a solid foundation of professionalism It has also been established by our prior negotiations with claim personnel from your insurance company as well as countless other insurance and claim entities. Our vast national exposure and years of dedicated service to the consumer have contributed to our current professional standing in the insurance claim industry), as well as a standard that we expect to be met by the insurance company, as well as its representatives.

The next level of negotiation and equally as important as the above, immediately establishing our in-depth knowledge of your insurance contract and the rights available to you under that contract as well as preliminary recoveries available, under that contract.

With the above elements clearly established, our firm can now, focus on its primary objective of establishing the extent of Loss and Value of that loss. These negotiations will take place in and away from the loss location throughout the term of the adjustment process. The negotiations will be conducted utilizing our experts to meet with your insurance companies claim personnel, representatives), experts, etc.

We will aggressively and quickly seek a final settlement utilizing our experience, skills, knowledge and expertise to negotiate the maximum recovery for our valued client.

Our firm provides our clients with the most valued service of all, loss guidance and consultation. This service cannot be duplicated or purchased, it can only be been obtained through the many years of experience that our firm has had in the insurance claims industry. This experience obtained from both the insurance company’s perspective as well as the public’s perspective. It involves not only insurance knowledge but over a decade of relationships with specific insurance entities, not limited, but including: insurance company staff adjusters, independent adjusters, cleaning restoration professionals, restoration and construction professionals, engineering and architectural professionals, accounting professionals, legal professionals, etc.

The above service we regard as our most valued service. It is a direct service to our client, which, not only makes a very difficult time much easier, but also establishes a long client relationship for future insurance related matters and future referrals to their family, friends and business colleagues.

The above guidance comes in many ways; initially it will be guidance as to how we will proceed with your insurance claim recovery. Then it will address how you should proceed with the loss recovery, first as to your initial responsibilities, secondly as to how you should proceed with achieving a balance of normalcy while our office concludes your adjustment.

In addition we are a viable source to provide you immediate answers to difficult questions regarding this procedure along with loss recovery issues, policy coverage and your loss management concerns.

We utilize highly skilled, knowledgeable, experienced engineers, builders and/or loss experts to prepare very detailed estimates of all aspects of your loss. This estimate is in a form and content familiar to insurance company experts and is done in conjunction with examinations by both the insurance company adjuster and our experts. Every item of reconstruction is accounted for and detailed. The estimate specifically details all aspects of damage repairs necessary to restore the building to its original condition or evaluated as to its current value. Your loss is settled on a dollar value basis. There is never any commitment to a specific contractor. It is your choice to use whichever contractor you like. If you are not familiar with anyone in the building industry we can recommend a contractor to you. In this industry we have worked with many different contractors and we know their reputations and the quality of their work.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS AND OUR ANSWERS:

Only an experienced professional can meet and exceed these qualifications.

A. We have the knowledge of fire, heat, smoke, water, wind and other types of damage, including “Hidden Damage”.

We have the latest in construction knowledge and value analysis information, deprecation and other elements to expertly develop an insurance loss. Consider when you have a legal situation where you are attempting to get paid for an injury or other loss. You hire a Lawyer, usually even in the case where only a few thousand dollars are involved. You trust his professional experience to best protect your financial interests. Shouldn’t you have that kind of expert protection in a loss involving several thousands of dollars in a property loss? You know the insurance company hired a professional adjuster to represent their interest.

A. Building contractors do not have experience in interpreting insurance policies and how they apply to a loss. They are not knowledgeable in computing Depreciation, Co- Insurance, Actual Cash Values Divisions of the policy and other elements of your loss. Further, a contractor is competitive with his bid, attempting to provide his lowest bid so as to get the job. Hidden heat, smoke and water damage could cause you problems after you settle your loss. If the job is given to competitive bid, it usually means the lowest bid will get the job. It is certainly much better for you to have control of your money, to hire who you choose, and pay them as you see fit for the quality of the work performed to your satisfaction.

You then control what and how repairs are made. Further, a contractor cannot handle your Contents, Business Interruption or Additional Living Expense loss or other losses related to the policy.

Q. HOW DO YOU GET PAID?

A. We charge a small percentage of what the insured receives in settlement. We do not receive any fee until the insurance company actually issues the check to you. Secondly, because we do work on a percentage of the recovery, we will endeavor the greatest amount in settlement for you. We will advise you of any offer, and it will be your final decision to accept or reject the offers of the settlement. This “Contingent Fee” is very similar to how many Attorneys and Realtors charge their fees.