In the recent years, we started to experience the greater number of storms across Ireland. All of us remember recent Ophelia. As a property maintenance group, we feel it’s our duty to share useful information if god forbid something happens to your property or to the property of the ones who matter to you. We could not stress enough about the importance of keeping yourself safe during the storm as well as assessing the damage as the result of the storm. Always leave everything that could put you in the harm’s way to the professionals and at least while extreme weather warning is present stay inside and spend your time planning how to respond if indeed your property will be in need of some repairs. Please do not exit the house during the storm, but once it passes, you can take specific actions to speed up your insurance claims and avoid further damage to your belongings.

Contact Your Insurance company.

In the event of the severe damage bill arising from the repairs might become a severe liability to the owner. Often insurance providers will require the claim to be made within 28 days. However, each policy is different, and you have to check with your insurance provider as soon as possible. If you choose Pinnacle Group Maintenance for the initial repairs before insurance is approved, we can help you find Insurance claims assessor to represent you case when claiming damages from the insurer allowing us to begin repairs before money is credited to your account.

Access the damage

Roof damage is one of the most common in storm and wind repairs. If spotted at the early stage it might require minor repairs and could be done in the afternoon. If left unattended it might result in further repair bills that might not be covered by your insurance. Always try to use reputable limited companies when responding to such events, as their involvement acts as a valid proof of the fact. Rpair estimates will be accepted when accessing the scope of the claim and instead of having to meet many contractors to carry out repairs you can be sure that project will be completed within a budget.

Common signs of roof damage are:

• Holes in the roof
• Split seams
• Missing shingles
• Bruises or dented asphalt shingles
• Cracked or broken tile, slate, or concrete shingles
• Granules collecting in gutters or downspouts
• Leaks in your roof or ceiling
• Dents on vents, gutters, or flashing

Take Photos of the damage.

Once it is safe to do so, take photos of the damage that storm has caused. Do not climb to hights or in any way place yourself in danger to get a better picture. If you feel that something might be risky, take down notes of the areas you would like to document, and wait until qualified help could do it for you. If the storm has caused a leak in the roof, and resulting water damage caused further loss inside the building take photos of the belongings, but do not remove anything from the property.

Carry out temporary repairs

Only proceed if you are able and are insured to do so, alternatively call property maintenance company or building contractors. Trade organisations require mandatory safety training for their members, as well as corporations o somef scale such as Pinnacle Group Maintenance, have insurance in place to protect staff in case of the accident. In this way you are not liable as liability is taken by the construction company. Making sure that no further damage is caused to the property will ensure smaller repair bills and will act in your favor when making a claim.

Carry out Work yourself vs. reputable Help

On the one side repairs after storm might be carried out pulling some favors and trying to project manage yourself. This is a two-edged sword, unfortunately. No insurer will continue to insure the property if repairs are carried out by a tradesperson without necessary paperwork or who do not follow the correct procedures when completing the repairs. For example, flimsy roof repair resulting in the roof tile flying off and damaging your neighbor’s car next time storm passes would render you liable for that damage. Same goes for the claim being made on your own versus choosing Claims Assessor to represent you. In the event of the dispute, professional help provides a higher level of security and peace of mind.

Always Have Paper Trail of Work Carried Out

When you choose to work with a registered and fully insured maintenance company you can be one hundred percent sure that no issues will arise from the incomplete documentation or lack of transparency when it comes to the final repair bill. Insurers have a right to challenge the claim in the future if they believe the claim was fraudulent and having reputable contractors have the capacity to request information for the repairs carried out two to three years ago. Companies with LTD in their name are required by law to maintain records for their activity way beyond to what is needed by self-employed individuals.