A 5-Step Guide for Property Managers – Things You Need to Know
Are you a property manager for a business or non-profit organization? Are you prepared for disasters such as water damage and fire? Essentially, though you can prepare to prevent most of the unwanted occurrences, you might never be able to prevent the occurrence of disasters such as floods or severe weather damages. Additionally, your property may suffer damage from elements such as:
- Smoke
- Fire
- Mold
- Water
Now, though you might not do enough to prevent the damages, you could prepare yourself for the occurrence. Typically, you can do this by ensuring that your property and finances are well braced for hard times and your restoration expenses are taken care of. This guide will give you a five-step guide towards restoring your properties to their former glory.
1. Protect the Property Against External Elements
Typically, if your property undergoes damage from either fire, smoke, water, or mold, the first thing you will want to do is protect it against other destructive elements. To be effective, ensure that all the entry points, doors, and windows are boarded up immediately to ensure everything else remains intact. Normally, you can contact a restoration company to do the boarding.
Failure to protect your damaged property immediately will only expose it to extra damage with the weather becoming erratic and an increased danger of pests. You can easily prevent unauthorized entry and parties looking to loot the salvaged items in the property by securing the entry points and sealing off the property to unauthorized people.
2. Talk to the Insurance Provider
Unless you have been preparing to fail, you must have had some good insurance policies for your properties. Now, to make an insurance claim on the damaged property, you will need to contact your insurance provider. This allows the insurer to evaluate the extent of the property damage. In most cases, your insurance provider may suggest you get help from one or more contractors during the restoration process. However, as the property owner, you have the discretion to decide on the restoration company. Before hiring a company to do the restoration, conduct extensive research. This will help you get the best company.
3. Determine the Extent of the Damage Caused
Now, unless the property is marked safe for entry by the relevant authorities – fire or water damage experts – you should not enter. To help you determine the extent of the damage on the property, you should contact restoration1 experts. They will help you assess the type of damage and how far it extends to the critical structures. This determination is also critical for the insurance claim. Additionally, for a comprehensive damage extent determination, you should avoid disturbing the scene.
4. Select a Restoration Company
Not all restoration companies will restore your property to its former self. Therefore, you should carefully select the restoration company depending on their experience and knowledge regarding the type and extent of the damage. Look for positive reviews, references, and testimonials. Additionally, to be sure, you should talk to people you trust about a restoration company you have in mind.
5. Initiate the Recovery Process
Once you have a company to help you with the restoration, get the process rolling immediately. This will help to strengthen the existing structures and prevent your property from developing weaknesses. Additionally, it will ensure that you can get your property back into operation and in business. During the restoration process, ensure that all items that can be salvaged get restored and nothing goes to waste. Once the restoration is done, take a walk-through with the restoration expert. This will help to determine whether the work is satisfactory.
Disasters are essentially not the end of your properties. Unless a severe catastrophe hits, you can salvage your property and give it back its functionalities. However, you will need experienced professionals such as restoration1 experts to do the restoration. In any case, you wouldn’t want all your life’s investment to go to waste.