2023 CE Classes

3/9/2023 (Permalink)

We pride ourselves in offering FREE CE classes for our insurance community! Come and join us on any of these days for an entertaining class and free lunch! 

Does Home Owner's Insurance Cover Water Damage?

2/20/2023 (Permalink)

DOES HOMEOWNER’S INSURANCE COVER WATER DAMAGE?

You already have insurance and you’re paying for it. But did you ever ask yourself if your homeowner’s insurance covers water damage? What’s covered and what’s not in your homeowner’s insurance policy?

Waking up to a flood due to faulty water heater is annoying especially after you realized your floor is damaged. Plumbing and leaking pipes can be a potential disaster, costing homeowners thousands of dollars. Water damage done to your home is covered by a standard homeowner’s insurance policy. However, not all types of water damage are covered. It’s not always easy to figure out when water damage is and isn’t covered by your policy because the distinctions are so fine, but this guide will inform you of the specific situations when your homeowner’s insurance will cover water damage.

When Does Homeowner’s Insurance Cover Water Damage?

Standard home insurance policies require water damage to be sudden and internal, with the requirement that the water has never touched the outside ground. It means that, if water damage occurs suddenly or accidentally from a source inside your home, such as a busted pipe, it will likely be covered by your homeowner’s insurance. If the water comes from outside your home, it will not be covered by your standard policy.

• Plumbing: Burst pipes, frozen plumbing, faulty plumbing, accidental overflow
• Water damage from extinguishing a fire
• A leaking roof (coverage would extend only to the home interior, not the roof itself)
• An accidental overflow of an appliance or fixture (toilet, washing machine, bathtub)
• Mold (only when it’s the result of covered water damage)

What types of water damage not covered by homeowner’s insurance?

Water damage is not covered by insurance if the result is not accident or unexpected occurrence. Here are three instances in which your homeowner’s policy will not provide coverage:

1. Maintenance problems that have not been attended to
2. Repair or replacement of the actual source of the water damage.
3. Flooding

Standard policies won’t cover water damage resulting from a flood, you’ll need to purchase additional flood insurance, especially if you are in area prone to flooding.

If your house floods due to a burst pipe, which happened suddenly and accidentally, that would be an exception, your homeowner’s insurance can cover the costs of water damage.

Does homeowner’s insurance cover water damage from rain?

Homeowners insurance covers water damage from rain sometimes, but not always. It all depends on how the damage occurred. For example, if a storm opens a hole in your roof, allowing water to leak in and destroy valuable personal property, your policy typically offers coverage. But when lack of maintenance results in water damage, you won’t be covered.

If you do find yourself with water damage, call SERVPRO of Davenport/Bettendorf to help! 563-386-3540

Is Storm Damage Covered by Insurance?

2/20/2023 (Permalink)

Storm damage may be covered by your insurance policy, but you’ll need to reach out to your agent to get specifics about your particular coverage. It’s important to note that your home must be maintained to a reasonable standard. Otherwise, it could be hard to prove that the storm was the cause of the damage versus a lack of proper maintenance and general wear and tear.

• Insurance coverage for weather damage can depend on the type of policy you have and any events it specifically includes or excludes.
• Liability due to weather factors on your property are often covered, such as if someone slips on ice and is injured.
• It’s advisable to review your home insurance policy so you know exactly what it does and doesn’t cover before a weather event occurs.

What Types of Service Does SERVPRO Offer?

2/20/2023 (Permalink)

As a trusted leader in the restoration industry, you can depend on SERVPRO, whether you need emergency flood damage restoration or your upholstery cleaned. We have the training, experience, and equipment to make your house feel like home again.

• 24-hour emergency service
• Highly trained restoration technicians
• Faster to Any Sized Disaster
• A trusted leader in the restoration industry with more than 1,900 franchises
• Advanced restoration and cleaning equipment

Residential Restoration Services

Fire, water, and mold restoration are the cornerstones of our business. SERVPRO is dedicated to responding to your emergency fast. Our focus on training ensures we have the expertise and skills needed to promptly restore your property right the first time. Our restoration services include the following:

• Water Damage Restoration
• Fire Damage Restoration
• Mold Remediation
• Storm and Major Events

Residential Cleaning Services

Life happens. Kids spill drinks, pets have accidents, and homes get dirty. SERVPRO offers cleaning services ranging from air duct cleaning to removing biohazard contaminants. Their residential cleaning services will not only ease the burden of the constant maintenance of your home, but will also create a safe, clean, and comfortable living environment for your family. Our cleaning services include the following:

• Overview of Residential Cleaning
• Air Ducts & HVAC
• Biohazard
• Carpet and Upholstery
• Ceiling, Floors & Walls
• Drapes and Blinds
• Odor Removal
• Sewage and Toilet Overflow
• Trauma and Crime Scene
• Vandalism and Graffiti

Why SERVPRO of Davenport/Bettendorf?

2/20/2023 (Permalink)

When the unexpected happens, SERVPRO of Davenport/Bettendorf is Faster to any size disaster®. From fire and water damage to mold remediation and disinfecting of COVID-19, no job is too big or too small. But what is it that makes their emergency services so special? Why should you choose SERVPRO?

As a home or business owner, having a service you trust in your community can mean everything when disaster strikes or the unexpected happens. Read on to learn why SERVPRO is the way to go.

 Why Choose SERVPRO?

 COVID Disinfecting and Cleaning

When you see the Certified: SERVPRO Clean badge displayed at the businesses in your community, you know it’s safer to enter. With their defensive cleaning program targeting viral pathogens, SERVPRO meets a higher standard of clean, as set by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other local authorities. If you’re a business owner, Certified: SERVPRO Cleaned is necessary for maintaining your reputation for safety.

Fire Damage

No matter small or large, when fire damage affects your home or business, acting fast to recover a loss and repair and restore your property is paramount. Offering services in fire and smoke restoration, odor control, upholstery and carpet cleaning, complete remodeling, and more SERVPRO is there when you call, day or night.

Water Damage

Whether frozen pipes lead to a flood or torrential rainfall floods your home or business, SERVPRO quickly to provides water damage relief. Certified Experts will assess the damage, extract the water, dry and dehumidify your space, and clean and repair any damage left—leaving it, Like it never even happened®.

Mold Remediation

Unlike fire and water damage, mold can be a silent killer, growing in spaces the eye can’t see. However, when it makes its presence known, the results can be devastating. Luckily, SERVPRO of Davenport/Bettendorf is highly-trained in mold remediation. These experts will contain the mold, filter the air, remove mold and mold-infested materials, and clean any compromised possessions.

Is your Home Prepared for a Fire this Winter?

1/25/2023 (Permalink)

Is your home equipped with these preventative items?

Often times fire is associated with the dry, hot weather that plagues the country in the summer months. During this time, we see burn bans in place for local communities, wildfires out west, and all of the accidents related to fireworks and grills. However, home fires actually occur more frequently in the winter than any other season!

One of the leading causes for US home fires and injuries are caused by heating. Heating is also the third highest cause of home fire deaths. An example of heating in the winter that leads to fires are space heaters, which accounts for one third of the fires taking place in December, January, and February. To reduce this number, plug only one heat producing appliance into an electrical outlet at a time.  Another important tip is to keep anything that can burn at least three feet from any heat source!

Another leading cause for home fires in the winter can be attributed to candles. Candle related fires peak during December, January, and February, causing one third of home decoration fires. To decrease the frequency of these fires, keep candles at least twelve inches away from anything that burns. Families should also think about using battery-operated flameless candles.  

However even with this knowledge, sometimes you cannot plan for a fire. In this case, you should make sure your family has a fire safety plan in place so that you are prepared for the unexpectant. Examples of this would include making sure you have working smoke detectors on every level of your home, with smoke detectors placed in each bedroom, and outside the sleeping areas. You should be testing these detectors at least once a month to ensure the batteries work properly as well.

You should also have a fire extinguisher in your home. A fire extinguisher can stop a small accident from turning into something bigger as fire can spread very quickly. Kitchen fires often involve grease and oil, which can’t be extinguished using water, making a fire extinguisher even more valuable. Other reasons you should have one is for fires involving cooking appliances like air fryers and stoves, smoking in your home, and electrical products like curling irons and overloaded extension cords.

Practicing fire safety encompasses all of these preventative measures, but you also need open communication with your family. Does your family know where the fire extinguisher is located in the house? Do you know when the smoke detectors were checked last? What is your exit plan in the event of a house fire? Having these discussions will ensure everyone is prepared and ready to go!

You can’t always plan for a disaster, but you can help prevent one! Here at SERVPRO, we help the community every day and we will be there for you as well. We can’t change the fact that your home was damaged by fire, but we can make it "Like it never even happened."   

Businesses: Be Prepared for Disaster!

1/11/2023 (Permalink)

Towards the end of December, we had our first Storm scenario here at SERVPRO of Davenport/Bettendorf. Temperatures dipped below freezing, and our community was faced with frozen pipes and extensive water damage. Because this was the first big freeze of the year, most weren’t prepared. We had over 130 calls in a span of three days, including residential and commercial properties. The entire community was affected, and with such an influx of jobs, we had to create a wait list to keep track of everyone needing help. We started with our initial calls, and worked our way down.

For commercial businesses that depend on being open and running smoothly, we understand the frustration of having to wait until help arrives. That’s why we created the Priority Service Agreement, where we establish a commitment to providing emergency services to your business right away. This document establishes trust in us, as that business is contracted to be a priority. This is an important relationship, as a delay on services affects how you operate your business and can potentially cause other problems.

We know you can’t always predict disaster, but you can be prepared in the event of one. Let us make it Like It Never Even Happened. The next time one of our marketing representatives visit your business, let them know you want to be a priority for us with a Priority Service Agreement.

Our Highly Trained Technicians Can Help your Quad Cities Home!

9/22/2022 (Permalink)

SERVPRO of Davenport/Bettendorf is an IICRC firm. The Institute of Inspection, Cleaning, and Restoration Certification (IICRC) creates the standards for the restoration industry and provides training and certification to restoration companies. IICRC Certified Firms have the right to display the IICRC Certified Logo.

IICRC Certified Firms must

• Present accurate information to consumers and conduct business with honesty and integrity.

• Require a technician on all jobs who has been formally trained and passed all required tests.

• Require a continuing education program to keep technicians up-to-date on the latest changes in the industry.

• Maintain liability insurance to protect all parties in the event of an accident.

• Maintain a written complaint policy and agree to Better Business Bureau or similar arbitration to resolve disputes, and accept the conclusions and recommendations of arbitration.

The IICRC Develops The Standards For The Restoration Industry

The IICRC has been the driving force in establishing the main industry standards and reference guides for professional carpet cleaning, water damage restoration, and mold remediation. These IICRC standards take years to develop and require the coordination of experts in the field: manufacturers, industry organizations, insurance professionals, training schools, contractors, and public health professionals.

Every five years, the standards are reviewed and updated. The water damage restoration field changes rapidly with advancements in technology and science, and therefore the standards must evolve to keep pace.

About SERVPRO of Davenport/Bettendorf

SERVPRO of Davenport/Bettendorf specializes in the cleanup and restoration of residential and commercial property after a fire, smoke, or water damage event. Our staff is highly trained in property damage restoration and we are an IICRC Certified Firm. We believe in continuous training: from initial and ongoing training at SERVPRO’s corporate training facility to regular IICRC-industry certification, rest assured our staff is equipped with the knowledge to restore your property.

Protect Yourself from Harmful Smoke!

9/22/2022 (Permalink)

You’ve probably heard that if you’re escaping a fire, you should crawl low underneath the smoke. This is, of course, if you cannot find an alternate escape route away from smoke. Heat rises, and in turn, smoke rises. In the attached image, you can see a clear line where the door is damaged from smoke. It’s a great visual to show how important it is to stay low in a fire.

Inhaling harmful smoke for even a short amount of time can cause severe health problems. More than half of all fire-related deaths are due to smoke inhalation. Should you find yourself in a situation that you need to escape a fire through smoke, the air is generally cleaner 12 to 24 inches above the floor.

Emergency preparedness is so important and we make it a goal at SERVPRO to help our community be prepared for disasters. If you are ever caught in a building with smoke, remember to drop and crawl to the nearest exit. If you come to a closed door, touch it with the back of our hand to test for it. If it is hot, do not open it and look for another exit.

Water Damage in My Home! What Should I Do?

9/22/2022 (Permalink)

A while ago we sent Jason and Ken to Living Local to educate them on what to do in the event of water damage in your home! Because it has been awhile, here is a refresher!

First and foremost, make sure you’re safe! Shut off circuit breakers for wet areas of your home, but only if access to the breaker panel is safe. Do NOT go into standing water where electrical shock hazards may exist.

Ken demonstrated in SERVPRO’s Living Local segment how to get the furniture off of wet carpets using wood blocks or aluminum foil. There is some misconception behind this tip – you may think it is to prevent damage to the furniture. It’s actually to prevent damage to the floor!

Our suggestion for separating your wooden furniture from the carpet is to prevent wood stains or fabric from staining your carpet. SERVPRO can dry furniture and carpet, but stained carpet poses a bigger challenge. For that reason, we also suggest you remove colored rugs and use wooden clothespins to keep furniture skirting off of your wet carpets to prevent staining. However, don’t try to move wet furniture from the area. When SERVPRO arrives to dry your space, our equipment will also dry the furniture in that space.

If you missed the great tips that Ken and Jason shared on SERVPRO’s Living Local segment, you can view them on our Youtube channel. https://youtu.be/1YQtQ1Vg42g

In the unfortunate event that you experience any kind of water loss, call SERVPRO of Davenport/Bettendorf Moline/Rock Island. We are available 24/7 to address your needs. The longer you wait to call, the greater chance of mold growth and unrepairable damage to your property may occur. Our team has the training and expertise to prevent or mitigate the effect of water damage.