Three Key Steps to Restore Property Post-Disaster

Three Key Steps to Restore Property Post-Disaster

Property managers know that emergencies are unavoidable, whether manmade or natural. They need solid backup from emergency services to minimize the damaging effect on commercial property. From electric short circuits to hurricanes, tornadoes, rains, floods, ice storms, and water pipe breakage/overflow that leaves basements flooded in buildings, disasters are too many. They can strike a property in any form at any time. Professional restoration services for property managers are important for the following reasons:

  • Protecting tenants from harm and disruption;
  • Restoring the rental property to normal condition so the business can resume; and
  • Avoid whistleblower complaints about building code/safety violations caused by a disaster.

The only thing that most commercial property managers worry about after facing a disaster is: how to deal with the emergency and recover from it as soon as possible. Some of them like to go through the profile of “Property restoration services nearby” online without seeking expert guidance or help on what to consider and expect. Since there is so much to take care of after a disaster hits a property that is looking to hire local restoration services for property managers won’t be enough (though, that is the only thought they have at that time).

To help property managers speed up their property restoration process post-disaster while reducing loss or damage in dollars, here are 3 easy steps to follow immediately:

Property Restoration Post-Disaster Step #1: Document Damages as Much as Possible

Disaster response and property recovery can be expensive. Property managers would like to file property insurance claims so that they can cover most of the repair and reconstruction costs. The problem is that property insurers may dismiss their property damage claims given that there is not enough proof—so they could save paying on an insurance policy that has nothing more than a gross estimate for disaster-caused damages.

The insurer wants to know the actual amount of the property damage, see evidence and confirm that the disaster caused damage comes under the insurance coverage, and the repairs/reconstruction carried out were needed for the property restoration.

To ensure smooth handling of disaster damage insurance claims by insurers, property managers must document as many damage sites and types as they can. They may consider documenting the following:

Ø Clicking pictures of the physical damage done to the property (structure)

Ø Documenting the tenant’s asset damage (business contracts, private documents/certificates, etc)

Ø Video recording of professional damage assessments and recommendations of insurance adjusters or specialist restoration services for property managers

Ø Documenting emails, messages, and receipts related to any property maintenance work done for damaged parts (costs, labor charges involved in property restoration)

In short, the better documentation is and the more evidence property managers have to submit to their property insurer during the damage claim, the less hassle and delay will be in getting their claimed compensation.

No doubt, there are full-service disaster recovery and property restoration companies who can help property managers with the restoration/reconstruction from start to end. They have expert technicians on their team to efficiently repair and recover the property even in the worst cases. Their restoration specialists can guide property managers in filing as well as settling a damage claim with ease.

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Property Restoration Post-Disaster Step #2: Find a Responsive Maintenance Technician and Local Contractor

Most of the time property managers start looking online for a “restoration service nearby” once they come to know about the property getting damaged in a disaster. They miss out on the key point that the top-ranking restoration specialists may not have the required experience or expertise to handle their property maintenance requirements.

In case of high scale damage done to the property by any national or local disaster (tornado, hurricane, earthquake, or flood), the possibility is there that the top-rated restoration services for property managers may be too busy to respond anytime soon. They may be preoccupied with projects and running short of technicians to start with property restoration immediately. This is uncalled for, especially for those property managers who can’t wait to restore their commercial properties to previous conditions.

However, seeking help from a large network of local property maintenance specialists online might work. Some reliable and professional disaster recovery experts registered with the network will take no time to respond to property managers’ needs. From electrical systems, janitorial and HVAC, to general repair contractors (roofs, floors, and walls) it will never be a problem to find the right personnel nearby for any specific kind of restoration work.

So, the trick for property managers is to stop calling individual restoration specialists separately and discussing their needs; rather leverage the network of local restoration technicians to see if anyone is ready to serve their needs. In this way, they can save both their time and energy, feeling less chaotic at the same time.

They can also set a budget they can afford for spare parts and per hour labor charges to keep property maintenance expenses under control. However, the response rate may be too low if the budget seems to be too unrealistic to take up.

Property Restoration Post-Disaster Step #3: Do Everything to Help Tenants!

Dealing with an emergency can be hard for property managers. It is no less painful for tenants as well. If the property is severely damaged, tenants may not be safe in it until proper maintenance is done.

Taking care of tenants (safety) and protecting them from the hazardous effect can take their relationship with property managers a long way—which can go in their favor and bring them more referrals later. Here is mentioned what property managers can do to protect tenants in such situations:

Ø Make temporary arrangements for tenants in hotels, lodgings, etc

Ø Prepare solid security plans and share them with tenants (exit paths, evacuation routes, timely alerts, etc) for an emergency

Ø Be available to Tenants over the phone or in-person to monitor and support them .     closely

Ø Cause no delay in the property restoration as it may affect tenants adversely

Conclusion

Property tenants can be family, business outlets, or merchandisers. Property managers should take every measure to provide them with the utmost safety. Their safety can increase when there is a solid plan of action for disaster recovery in effect. All property managers should start working on it with an efficient restoration services provider to get over the disaster fast.

Following a disaster recovery plan is crucial, but property managers should go through all these steps to make sure the property along with the tenants is back to normal again.