If you own a small or medium-sized business, one of your biggest fears is having your store destroyed. If you suffer a fire in your commercial property, you will likely suffer thousands of dollars in damage. Your inventory may be destroyed. The contents of your business may also be damaged or destroyed. It’s important that you know what your policy will cover in the event of a fire.
If you’re lucky, your insurance company will pay your claim without question. However, this is rarely the case. Insurance adjusters are always trying to whittle your claim amount down to the bare minimum. One of the ways they do this with a commercial fire is by refusing to pay for certain things. One of these things is items that suffer smoke damage.
If you suffer a fire in your business and the insurance company refuses to pay your full claim, you should call a fire damage adjuster in Florida right away.
You May Only Be Covered for Restoration, Not Replacement
One of the ways your insurance company will reduce the size of your claim is by demanding that you clean certain items rather than replace them. For example, if you have furniture in your business that is damaged in a fire, you’ll be required to clean them. You may also have to reupholster them. Your insurance company may cover the cost to clean them rather than replace them. If this happens, your Florida public adjuster can help. They’ll demand that you get reimbursement for the full value of any destroyed or damaged items.
There is Usually a Limit on Coverage for Smoke Damage
Another trick the insurance company uses to reduce your claim is by denying coverage for smoke damage. Fire damage adjusters know this may happen. Instead of paying to replace items damaged by smoke, they may only cover things like air purifiers. The argument is that this will help restore your items so they are usable. The problem is that this doesn’t always work. You may have items that are damaged by smoke to the point where they aren’t salvageable.
This is why it’s best to talk to a fire damage public adjuster in Florida as soon as possible after your fire. This way, you have someone by your side who will stand up to the insurance companies.