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Insurance Information

• FIRST, call A&D Hydra Clean at 317-255-5658 immediately for initial advice regarding your loss and insurance questions. Hopefully, this is the first time you have experienced a loss like this. You may have many questions and not know what exactly to expect. We can help! Our advice is free!
• NEXT, if you have not already done so, call your insurance company’s claims office. The majority of insurance companies have 1-800 numbers you can call 24 hours a day to report the loss. If for some reason you cannot reach your insurance agent or claims office, do not delay in initiating a phone call 24/7 to A&D Hydra Clean at 255-5658 so we can immediately begin taking care of your water situation.
• Check with your insurance representative to see if your loss is covered. Do not be afraid to challenge them if they say it is not. Flood waters (unless you have flood insurance), slow leaks, seepage, or inadequate maintenance type losses are usually not covered. Generally most water losses are covered, but there are some exceptions depending on the source, length of time, and other causative factors. We will help identify the source or sources and work with your adjustor in fairly assessing the validity of your claim. It is in the best interest of you, the homeowner, your insurance company, and A&D Hydra Clean to meet with you and your adjustor especially the first time, and likely only time he or she will be in your home to assess the extent of damage and potential costs. Please inform us of the day and time we can all meet together.
• If the claims office representative tells you either to wait for the adjustor to contact you or instructs you to get an estimate or two, those instructions almost never represent the true intentions of your insurance company. They (and we) strongly recommend taking immediate remedial action to reduce further loss from unnecessary migration of the water, moisture-related secondary damage due to delay, either one or both of which will likely result in more extensive damage and even higher overall cost.

• If you do not know, find out how much your deductible is from your policy, agent, or claims representative.
• Upon our arrival we will ask you to sign a work authorization which also contains additional insurance information. We will also ask for a deposit in the amount of your deductible.
• Make sure you have Sewer and Drain backup coverage (includes sump pumps and floor drains). This relatively inexpensive coverage may be an endorsement or a rider (check with your agent before you have a loss – not the day of).
• Check to see if you have a cap (maximum dollar amount the insurance will cover on this type of loss). You may want to talk to your agent about increasing your cap especially if you recently remodeled or finally finished the basement. If you lost everything, would the cap plus your obligatory deductible be enough to cover the cost of labor, materials, and contents restoration and/or replacement?
• Take photos and document all damage to your property and contents if it can be done safely. In order to be thorough we also will keep a photo journal throughout the process.

  THE TYPICAL RESTORATION PROCESS CONSISTS OF TWO PHASES:
  EMERGENCY SERVICES PHASE and RECONSTRUCTION PHASE

• Due to numerous unpredictable variables beyond our control during the Emergency Services Phase, we cannot provide a precise estimate for all the labor, equipment, and necessary procedures that may be necessary in providing our emergency and dry-out services. If needed, we can “guesstimate” a range or “ballpark” figure based on past experience of losses similar to yours, but the actual invoice may be higher or lower. Upon request we will provide an exact detailed estimate for the Reconstruction Phase replacements or repairs (put-back) to return your home and contents back to pre-loss condition after the dry-out phase (emergency services) is complete.
• You, the homeowner, authorize the work and A&D Hydra Clean is hired by you, not the insurance company. The insurance company cannot tell you which contractor to hire even though they may suggest you use a contractor of their choice. Our emphasis is on providing professional workmanship at a fair price rather than risking the exchange of that quality for an assigned larger workload at less than typical prevailing wage.
• We work with your insurance company, not for them. We are working directly for you the homeowner, but we generally follow standard insurance pricing guidelines for both the emergency services and reconstruction phases.
• Talk to the insurance company about additional living expenses (hotel costs and restaurant meals) if it becomes necessary for you to temporarily move out of your home.
• In some cases your insurance company will pay us directly for our work. If our name is included on your insurance check, you will be asked to endorse this check over to A&D Hydra Clean when the work has been completed. In some cases your mortgage company may also be named on the insurance check. Unless you can make specific arrangements with the mortgage company for the timely release of funds, we do not recommend that you endorse the check over to the mortgage company as their tight control of the settlement money can delay the process of payment in keeping with the 30 day payment “window” as outlined in our work authorization. Your assistance may be necessary in the process of getting a prompt endorsement from your mortgage company. As you can easily understand, A&D Hydra Clean is first and foremost a structural dry-out and complete restoration services business committed to long term availability when you need our help. As such, we need to be paid in a timely fashion. We understand the inconvenience and financial challenges you and your insurance company face in settling your loss. If you foresee a problem in making prompt payment in keeping with the terms of our work authorization agreement, please communicate this concern to our office immediately. Thank you in advance for your cooperation.

Note: The above information and suggestions are based on many years of experience and is, by no means, a legal brief or a complete tutorial on dealing with insurance companies. We are water damage specialists not insurance advisors. Call us -- we will answer your questions to the best of our ability. But you may have other issues or questions related to the complex world of insurance policy and claims issues which should be addressed to your insurance company, your agent, or your claims office. Another resource available for insurance questions would be the Indiana Department of Insurance. The Commissioner and his staff can answer your questions by calling (317) 232-5251.