STORM DAMAGE RESTORATION FAQs

If storm damage is found by an On Call Contracting Group Project Manager during your free inspection, you simply call your insurance company to file a claim.

File a claim for the storm damage that occurred to your property and the date of storm or catastrophic event. Please make note of your claim number and contact and notify us so we can send in our photos, scope and estimate to your insurance company.

If storm damage is found by an On Call Contracting Group Project Manager during your free inspection, you simply call your insurance company to file a claim.

File a claim for the storm damage that occurred to your property and the date of storm or catastrophic event. Please make note of your claim number and contact and notify us so we can send in our photos, scope and estimate to your insurance company.

No. A claim filed as a result of hail, wind, and/or lightening is considered an “Act of God” claim.

That is to say, there was no way you could have prevented the damages to your property. Insurance companies cannot raise your individual rates as a result of such a claim. Premium increases are based across a whole region, city or state of thousands of claims being filed for the same storm or catastrophic event, not individually.

An On Call Contracting Group Project Manager will meet any insurance adjuster and/or building contractor at your property to review the scope and estimate.

Your insurance company will either schedule a time for an insurance adjuster or another building contractor to come out and inspect and assess your damage. The adjuster will call you to schedule a time that works for you. It is important you schedule a specific time to meet this adjuster. If possible, take down the adjuster’s name and contact number. While some builders and adjusters work for the insurance company, On Call Contracting Group works directly for the property owner. We don’t take short cuts, nor are we bonused for additional work from the insurance company by trying to keep the amount of the claim low. Our goal is to get all storm damage related repairs looked at and fixed and covered by the insurance company through this process.

No you do not.

If you have already decided on hiring On Call Contracting Group as your contractor, please inform your insurance company, claims manager and/or adjuster of your decision. You have the right to use whatever contractor you choose.

If the estimate provided by the insurance company or adjuster is lower than the initial On Call Contracting Group estimate, you need to request the scope of work that was used to determine that estimate form your insurance company.

On Call Contracting Group will match any fair market pricing of any builder or adjuster, as long as the scope of work is the same. For example, if the insurance company sent out a builder who forgot to include gutters, proper roof components, safety equipment and some damaged windows in their estimate, naturally their assessment would be lower. It is important to get a copy of this scope of work so that a proper comparison is made. If items that were estimated by On Call Contracting Group were not included in the insurance company’s assessment, then the property owner must request a variance for those items to then also be included.

If reasonable and fair market pricing is provided on the insurance company assessment and the scope is the same, then On Call Contracting Group would adjust any of their initial estimates to match the dollar amount being issued by the insurance company, which then allows us to live up to our guarantee of doing all properly scoped work for insurance proceeds, with no out of pocket expense to property owner (minus their excess amount).

Again, you have the right to choose a contractor of your choosing and also get the work done at fair market pricing.

First, call the Claims Manager and file a complaint with a supervisor and/or manager of the insurance company.

If nothing gets resolved in 5 business days, contact On Call Contracting Group for further assistance filing a complaint.

Before accepting a cash settlement, you must always first request a copy of the detailed scope of work from the insurance company’s adjuster that they are using to determine the value of the claim.

It is important for property owners to review this detailed scope of work and make sure that all items were properly noted and covered and that this amount allows for full repairs at fair market pricing. This must be done before accepting a cash settlement.

Once you accept cash settlement from the insurance company, you can then use those proceeds to enter into a formal building contract with On Call Contracting Group as your choice of contractor.

On Call Contracting Group has a variety of options including a 3rd party trust setup for the purpose of progress payment billing and convenience for the customer.

Perhaps.

The insurance company is obligated to pay a fair market rate for the damages done to your home less the amount of your excess. If you choose to have all the damages your insurance company assess as damaged repaired you may have to pay your excess.  You may chose to use funds assigned to a less important part of the restoration to pay the excess (the work you are opting to shift funds from would then obviously not be done) thus reducing or eliminating your out-of-pocket expense.

You should not worry about significant out-of-pocket expense, the contract between you and On Call Contracting Group guarantees you we will do the insurance approved restoration work at the insurance approved price and in return you have committed to using On Call Contracting Group.

It is common for the initial insurance settlement to be less than the original On Call Contracting Group estimate. The On Call Contracting Group estimate is based on the current fair-market-pricing for each component involved in your restoration.  If you reference the On Call Contracting Group estimate for your property it will become very clear it is calculated using numerous variables and is very comprehensive.  The insurance company utilizes a network of contractors who work for them who may be incentivized to reduce the amount of your claim.  It may be necessary for On Call Contracting Group to address insufficiency in the estimate prepared by your insurance company’s contractor but, this is common.  Regardless, you will NEVER be asked to pay more than the insurance company pays, for the scope of work approved by the insurance company, plus your excess.

This is precisely the reason you have hired and signed a contract with On Call Contracting Group. We are committed to working on your behalf, not for your insurance company.

If your insurance company does not cover damages On Call Contracting Group feels are justified, you are not out of options. Your On Call Contracting Group representative will help you assess the situation and assist you with addressing the problem utilizing one of many options at your disposal to rectify an insufficient or incomplete assessment by your insurance. Bad faith claims and/or inadequate and sometimes faulty assessment practices can arise out of an insurance company sending a “preferred contractor”. Having a contractor on your side to ensure your interests are protected is essential in protecting yourself as a property owner.

No. Your insurance company relies on a small group of building contractors to assist them in assessing and assigning a dollar amount to your claim. This close relationship between the insurance company and their preferred contractors is to the insurance companies benefit and therefore, the insurance will try and influence you to use their contractor.

In some cases the insurance company won’t contact you but, rather the insurance companies contractor will e-mail you an estimate/contract and ask you to sign it and e-mail it back. Do not sign anything without contacting your On Call Contracting Group representative first. REST ASSURED, you are under no obligation to use a contractor presented to you by your insurance. The insurance company has a vested interest in your use of their contractor, that is to their advantage, we feel you are better served using On Call Contracting Group as we have no formal ties with insurance companies but, rather work on your behalf. As long as you are firm with your insurance claims manager and verbally assert your right to use a contractor of your choice, they must comply with your request.

Do not. There is no reason you should have to pay your excess before your insurance company assesses your claim.

Simply indicate to your insurance that you would prefer to pay your excess once they have assessed and settled your claim Furthermore, indicate you will pay the excess directly to the contractor you have chosen to do the work. You are under no obligation to pay ANYTHING until your insurance company has told you what restoration work they will be covering and how much they have agreed to pay to have that restoration done.

Remember, do not sign anything.

Make sure you request the detailed scope of works from the insurance company showing how they came to their amount. Third, call your On Call Contracting Group representative and provide the documents from your insurance company to him or her so On Call Contracting Group may analyze the settlement proposed by your insurance and make sure it addresses all the damages done to your property. If the estimate is fair and covers all the damages On Call Contracting Group feels were incurred to your property On Call Contracting Group will advise you to contact your insurance company to indicate you are using On Call Contracting Group for the restoration of your home and request a cash settlement of the claim (see the next item for a description of cash settlement.)

Your insurance policies allow you as the policyholder to opt for a cash settlement of your claim once a final determination has been made as to the nature of restorations to be done and the cost associated with those restorations.

Once your On Call Contracting Group representative has reviewed the insurance companies offer to settle your claim and has advised you it is acceptable then cash settlement is the next step. At this point On Call Contracting Group  can formally contract the job and scope of works and begin the restorations to your property. Simply call your insurance carrier tell them you have selected and signed a contract with On Call Contracting Group and request they cash settle your claim. This should facilitate the insurance company releasing funds to you so you may begin the restoration process with On Call Contracting Group. Remember, you have the right to determine which contractor works on your property, not the insurance company. You also have the right to cash settle once an appropriate settlement has been communicated to you. Be assertive with your insurance claims manager. Most insurance companies are accustomed to, dictating how the process should unfold to their customers, when it should be the other way around.