Category Archives: Cost of Basement Water Damage

Royal Water Damage – A Rating on Angies List

215-657-2244

ANGIES LIST INFORMATION ——–

Contact: All Calls Answered Live by, Office Staff or Technician

Business Description: OVERALL RATING : Grade, A

LATEST ANGIES LIST REVIEWS:

May. 2013 – Gertrude – Philadelphia, Pa. – He came out too look at water damage. He was honest, nice and on time. He told me I needed someone to do home remodeling.

Feb. 2013 – Lois – Warminster, Pa. – Provided water remediation. took out wet flooring, carpeting, drywall and placed fans to dry out. then applied disinfectant. very responsive. had estimator out in am and by 12 noon the workers were here to start work. follow up for return exactly as scheduled. received a phone call after every visit to be sure every thing went well. i would definitely use them again. not sure of price because insurance paid them directly. Very pleased

Jan. 2013 – Stas – Warrington, Pa. They cleaned up a flooded basement and did a excellent job. They are very experienced in there field and it shows.

Apr. 2012 – Jessica – Bensalem, Pa. The entire staff at Royal…The women in the office, the estimators and the production staff were extremely professional, kind, helpful and reassuring, that I did not need to worry and they would take care of everything…and they did! P/S – I let everyone at Allstate (my agent, my adjuster + his boss and customer service) know what a wonderful job everyone from Royal did. That they should consider making Royal a “preferred vendor” for Allstate.

Feb. 2012 – Bonnie – Norristown, Pa. Outstanding – Thank You!

Dec. 2011 – Marguerite – Blue Bell, Pa. – Excellent Service-would Recommend Highly.

Nov. 2011 – Jessie – Philadelphia, Pa. It went well from start to finish.

SERVICE:

Royal Water Damage Restoration is an exclusive emergency service restoration company offering a 45 minute response time to assist you in your time of need 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Certified restoration experts provide thorough no-obligation inspections and our non-invasive drying techniques shorten the restoration process, effectively minimizing secondary damages for residential and commercial properties. We are proud to be recognized and recommended as approved vendors among national insurance companies creating a more pleasant working environment with their policy holders. When an emergency happens, time is of the essence. Call for a free emergency consultation giving you the peace of mind you need.

215-657-2244 ANYTIME – ANY DAY – FREE ESTIMATES

In Business Since: 2005

Service Area: South Eastern Pennsylvania: Bucks, Montgomery, Philadelphia, Delaware and Chester Counties.

On Angie’s List Since: 3/4/2011

Warranties: YES

Free Estimates: Yes

Office Hours: Mon 12.00 AM – 12.00 AM, Tue 12.00 AM – 12.00 AM, Wed 12.00 AM – 12.00 AM, Thu 12.00 AM – 12.00 AM, Fri 12.00 AM – 12.00 AM, Sat 12.00 AM – 12.00 AM, Sun 12.00 AM – 12.00 AM

Features: Emergency Service

Licensed: Yes, we are appropriately licensed for my trade.
(All statements concerning insurance, licenses, and bonds are informational only, and are self-reported. Since insurance, licenses and bonds can expire and can be cancelled, homeowners should always check such information for themselves.)

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What Is Subrogation? And how it matters to you.

Subrogation refers to the process an insurance company uses to seek reimbursement from the responsible party for a claim it has already paid.

Subrogation matters to you if:

You have a covered loss, and
You submit a claim to your insurance company, but
Another party is actually responsible for all or part of the damages (i.e. you have a car accident and the other driver caused the accident, or if damage to your home was caused by a faulty appliance)

In this case, your insurance company may pay your claim, and then seek reimbursement from the other party. This would depend on the circumstances surrounding the loss, the laws in your state, and your policy provisions.

If your company decides to pursue subrogation, the company will work to recover the damages from the responsible party. Damages may involve costs paid by you and the insurance company. Costs paid by you usually means your deductible, but could include amounts over your policy limits not paid by your insurance company. This would depend on the laws in your state and the specific circumstances surrounding the loss.

The subrogation process may also be used if you are at fault for damages. In this case, the other party and/or their insurance company would make a claim against you, usually directly to your insurance company. Your company will review the facts of investigation to determine if you are liable for the damages. Your company may make payment to the other company if you have coverage and it is determined that you would be legally responsible for all or part of the damages. Keep in mind that often times liability is not clear cut. In some cases, both parties may be partially responsible. Dependent on the laws in your state, both parties may share responsibility for payment of damages. For example, one party may be 40% responsible, and the other party may be 60% responsible. This could mean that both companies make subrogation claims against each other, and each company pays their respective portion of the other party’s claim.

In all cases, your participation and cooperation with us in the investigation phase of the claim process is important. Your assistance can help to establish important facts, and preserve evidence, and may help to accelerate the recovery process.

Reimbursement When Money is Recovered

If money is recovered, and part of the recovered amount was paid by you, (you paid your deductible, for example, but it was the other party’s fault) a reimbursement check will be issued. The reimbursement check is usually issued when money is received. Please note that practices vary based on the specific laws for your state.

The amount to be reimbursed is based on the amount claimed and the amount recovered. The amount claimed through subrogation depends on the amount each party was at fault. The amount recovered usually is divided proportionally between the insurance company and the insured, after expenses. This could vary based on the laws in your state.

How Reimbursement Amounts are Calculated

Dependent on the laws in your state, you may be fully reimbursed for your deductible if:

The other party was 100% at fault
The other party paid the damages claimed in full
There were no collection expenses (i.e. collection agency) to recover the money.

Often times though, it is not that simple. Based on the different factors that come into play, the calculation of the reimbursement amount can become quite complicated. The reimbursement of your deductible depends on several factors, including the amount recovered, the amount claimed (based on the amount the various parties were at fault), and state laws.

Generally, you would receive reimbursement of your deductible equal to your proportion of the total amount claimed to the total amount recovered, net of expenses. However, precisely how the reimbursement amount is determined varies by state.

These examples outline general rules that apply in many states—please discuss the specifics of your case with your subrogation claim representative.

Example 1: Other party is 100% liable, but only paid part of the amount

The total amount of damages paid is $10,000. The other party was 100% responsible for the damages. Subrogation claim is for $10,000.

You paid $1,000 and your insurance company paid $9,000.
Your proportion is 1/10 or 10% of the total amount claimed—$1,000.
The amount actually collected is $5,000. There were no collection expenses.
You are reimbursed for $500, or 10% of the amount collected.
Your insurance company is reimbursed for $4,500.

Example 2: Other party is partially liable; only paid part of the amount

The total amount of damages paid is $1000. The other party was 60% responsible for the damages. Subrogation claim is for $6,000.

You paid $1,000 and your insurance company paid $9,000.
Your proportion is 1/10 or 10% of the total amount claimed—$600.
The amount actually collected is $3,000. There were no collection expenses.
You are reimbursed for $300, or 10% of the amount collected.
Your insurance company is reimbursed for $2,700.

Questions? Your Claims Representative Can Help.

Subrogation can be complex and non-intuitive. If you have questions, please let your claims representative know.

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Water Damage Restoration – What Are Your Options?

If you have been confronted by water damage in your house or commercial property, you will be best advised to hire the services of a professional fire and water restoration company. Though water damage restoration is something that you can achieve on your own, there is too much at risk to take it up as a do it yourself project.

Here are some highlights about the services that a well established fire and water restoration company like Royal Water Damage will be able to provide.

•Available 24/7 – The good fire and water restoration company will operate throughout the day and night. Time is of the essence when it comes to water damage restoration and lost time will often result in dramatically increased losses and additional restoration expenses. Shut off the water supply that caused the flooding and call a professional water damage repair company as soon as you can.

•Expert help with insurance claims – The fire and water restoration company is more than just a professional service to restore your home. The Royal Water Damage will often award you an insurance specialist who will help you with the insurance claims process along the way. Ideally, claiming insurance should be easy for homeowners who have suffered property damage although the reality is that the insurance company will do anything to give you a check with a lower amount than required. Having professional help in the form of an insurance specialist will save you a lot of stress and effort and will also get you that check that will cover all the restoration expenses.

•Professional equipment – fire and water restoration company will have several commercial grade machines such as dehumidifiers, blowers, truck mounted water extraction units, portable water extraction units, moisture gauges, humidity gauges and so on that will help them remove the water and restore your property in the fastest way possible. If you approached the process on your own, it will take you a very long time as you will generally have just one dehumidifier or just one blower which might not even be powerful enough to do the job in the first place.

•Technical knowhow – This is where restoration companies offers the most value. It will take you several hours of research and learning to figure out the best restoration plan for you house while a professional restoration company will often have years of experience on their hands. Their experience and their expertise will allow them to immediately go to work on restoring your property in the most time efficient and cost efficient manner. They will also be able to advise you about potential problems with the construction of your house that might lead to future water damage problems.

Thus, in conclusion, it is advised that you call for the services of a fire and water restoration company if you haven’t done so already. The sooner your call, the lesser your losses will be. A good fire and water restoration companies will also guarantee you that their repair estimates will be accepted by the insurance company which means that you have almost nothing to lose by hiring professionals.

Service within 45 minutes with FREE Estimates. Call 215-657-2244

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Daylight saving time will begin at 2 a.m. on Sunday.

It’s almost time to spring ahead, which means it’s also time to test and replace the batteries in your smoke detectors.

Royal Water Damage would like to remind everyone to not only set their clocks ahead this weekend, but to also test your smoke detector batteries and change them if necessary.

Royal Water Damagesays even hard-wired smoke alarms should have their batteries replaced and tested monthly.

A working smoke alarm doubles your chance of survival during a fire by giving you the critical time needed to escape.

A lot of fires occur at night while most people are sleeping.

Actually, the smoke and toxic gases from the fire can cause you to fall into a deeper sleep, diminishing the chance of survival.

Royal Water Damage recommends changing the batteries every six months and testing them monthly.

Daylight saving time will begin at 2 a.m. on Sunday.

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Wall Street Journal guide to homeowners insurance

Royal Water Damage Restoration 215-657-2244

Homeowners insurance protects your home, its contents, and, indirectly, your other assets in the event of fires, theft, accidents or other disasters.

A standard homeowners policy (known as an HO-3 policy) will protect you from things like fires and fallen trees. Notice how we didn’t mention floods or earthquakes—those events are specifically not covered by a standard policy and require additional coverage. Homeowners in some areas of the country may be required by their mortgage company to carry these kinds of policies.

A standard policy will also protect your possessions from said disasters as well as theft. But a standard policy is not a blank check: There’s a limit to how much you’ll be compensated. If you have specific items of value, such as jewelry or artwork, you can pay a little extra each year to insure them for their full replacement value.

Now, if someone is on your property and slips and falls and sprains his ankle, he might sue you for his medical expenses. Homeowners insurance covers your liabilities in this situation as well. And like the examples mentioned above, you can pay more for extra coverage. Homeowners insurance isn’t required by law, like auto insurance. But mortgage companies usually require you to obtain a policy before they’ll give you a loan.

How Much Coverage Do You Need?

Your home insurance policy should cover enough to entirely rebuild and furnish your home were it wiped off the map. Ask a home builder to walk through your home and give you an estimate of what it would take to rebuild; that figure should be the basis for how much replacement coverage you’ll need. Be sure to point out any unique and/or expensive details that would add to the replacement cost.

Once you’ve determined the replacement cost of your home, you’ll need to know what kind of coverage you want. There are a few key terms here:

Guaranteed Replacement Cost Coverage. This means that the insurer will pay for the rebuilding of your home no matter the cost. These policies are hard to find these days.

Extended Replacement Coverage Many insurers offer coverage that caps the payout at around 125% of your home’s insured value.

Inflation Guarantee (or Guard). This feature makes sure that your home’s insured value stays current with the marketplace.

If you get a reliable appraisal, extended replacement coverage and an inflation guarantee, you should be in good shape. The appraisal provides a realistic starting figure and the inflation guarantee makes sure that your home’s price stays current. The 125% coverage means that, even if construction prices outpace inflation, they probably didn’t outpace it by 25%, so you should have enough money for whatever work you need done.

One last thing: The law requires you to have flood insurance if you live in an officially recognized high-risk area. To find out your flood risk and to find plans (which are offered by the government), go to floodsmart.gov.

When it comes to protecting your possessions, you may want more coverage than your standard policy allows. If you have anything of exceptional value (a family heirloom, a piece of art, jewelry, etc.), you should insure it separately. Insurers will charge extra for this coverage (something like an extra $10 on your monthly premium per $1,000 of value insured), but it pays to be covered.

Also keep in mind that there are two different kinds of coverage when it comes to personal articles. There’s “actual cash value” and there’s “replacement cost.” You want coverage for replacement cost. “Actual cash value” is what you’d get if you sold your valuable today — a lower amount than what you initially paid. “Replacement cost” pays you the amount of money you’d need to buy a brand-new item to replace your old one.

Liability Coverage

Say a guest stays at your home and slips on the floor and sprains his ankle. He decides to sue you. Your homeowners policy includes liability coverage in case you lose the court case. Generally speaking, standard policies offer $100,000 to $300,000 of liability coverage.

Supplemental liability coverage can boost your protection to $1 million or more. If you don’t own a car, adding that kind of coverage can be relatively cheap—less than $100 per year—and isn’t a bad idea. If you do own a car (putting you at greater risk for causing damage to people and property), expect to pay $300 to $400 a year. Check out your auto policy to see what kind of coverage you already have.

Shopping for a Homeowners Policy

There are three kinds of home insurance companies and salespeople:

Direct sellers, who sell directly to consumers (GEICO, Progressive and USAA fall into this category).

Captive agents, who only sell one company’s insurance products (for example, State Farm and Allstate agents).

Independent insurance agents, who sell policies from many different companies.

It’s possible that all of these groups will deny your insurance application for anything from the risky pool of alligators in your backyard or the tornado that runs through your property every year. Don’t despair. Many states have state-sponsored insurance programs for the hard-to-insure. Search for your state’s FAIR (Fair Access to Insurance Requirements) plan if you’re having a tough time with the traditional insurers.

Your Deductible

Like auto or health insurance, your homeowners insurance has a deductible (the amount you must pay before coverage kicks in). Like those other policies, you should opt for the highest deductible you can afford. If you do, the cost of your insurance premium (the monthly bill you pay) will surely be lower. Plus, a low deductible forces your insurer to cover more of your costs — costs they pass on to you in the form of increased premiums.

Remember: You should not use insurance to cover every conceivable expense, just the big ones. If reinstalling a gutter will cost you $200, pay the $200 — don’t start filing claims for it. Insurers hate it when you file too many claims, and may raise your monthly premium or even cancel coverage because they’ll view you as too risky. It’s not about gutters—you want the insurance when you have to pay for a whole new roof.

A good rule of thumb to follow: If you can fix anything for less than $1,000, don’t file a claim

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Mold Growth from Water Damage or Flooding

Water damage mold is a type of fungus that produces a growth of damp or decaying organic matter on the surfaces where a lot of moisture tends to be present.

Although mold is a natural substance and water damage mold and is not the greatest of diseases to be felt by the human beings, the fungus might cause some serious problems like irritation to lungs and eyes, allergies, asthma attacks and sinus congestion. If a house has water damage it takes as little as 24-48 hours for mold to develop in those places. In the household, water damage mold tends to be prevalent where there is enough moisture present for the fungus to feed on. The most vulnerable place for water damage mold to grow is bathrooms which are not hygienically maintained and it can also be hidden under carpets or floor tiles which are generally not cleaned regularly.

When your basement gives you musty smell and walls are decolorized that is when you confirm that you have water damage mold in your house. Restoration must be quickly adopted in order that the mold does not cause considerable health hazards. There are a number of things you must take care of if you have this growing around you. The first thing to do before you contact Royal Water Damage is to open your doors and windows so that clean air can get through your house so that the moist condition on which the mold lives will be reduced. Dry up all the house hold blankets and carpets with dehumidifiers.

Water damage mold can be cleaned by relatively simple techniques which can be performed by you. But you have to take suitable precautions like wearing gloves and goggles if you are removing it with your hands. These precautions protect you against harmful mold which are in their advanced stages of growth. A thorough cleaning with Lysol soap solution and water would take care of any mold in household carpets. The floor then has to be painted with an oil paint so that further mold does not accumulate over there.

Besides these there is also dry wall water damage mold which can be reduced by cutting away the dry wall where the mold is suspected to be present. This needs to be followed by cleaning up of any mold seen on the wooden boards by using soap and water. There are a lot of other ways to control water damage mold. A physician’s examination for such water damage mold can also be of great use as a final measure of safety against the spread of any disease.

Call Royal Water Damage for a NO Obligation – FREE Estimate. 215-657-2244

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