So your home has been through a flood, a fire, or simply has a mold problem, and you’re looking for a professional restoration service to come in and bring your home back to its original condition. After you’ve decided who to call to perform the restoration service (we hope you choose our team at Restoration Now! Omaha!), there’s one important question that needs to be addressed: do you file an insurance claim or pay for damages out of pocket?

As with many questions dealing with insurance, there are a lot of variables in play and no simple answers. Here at the Restoration Now! in Omaha, though, our team of damage restoration specialists want you to have all the knowledge you can to make an informed decision that provides you with long-term peace of mind.

A Word about Deductibles

As you’ve probably noticed, insurance deductibles have been on the rise during the past few years, and more insurance companies are switching from flat deductibles to something called a percentage deductible, which calculates your deductible based on the value of your home. For example, if you have a home valued at $250,000 with a percentage deductible of 1%, your deductible would be $2500.

So what should you do if your deductible is $2500 and the cost of damages to be restored is around that amount? Is it worth it to submit a claim to your insurance company? Many people have been trained to rely on insurance for all kinds of damage situations, but may not know that the indirect costs of filing an insurance claim make out of pocket repairs a more sensible option.

Being dropped from a policy, as well as increases in premiums and deductibles, are common consequences of submitting claims through your insurance company—to clarify, while using insurance properly for a large and costly emergency generally won’t result in the insurance company dropping your policy, filing multiple small claims in a short time can cause problems. In short, then, it’s wise to save insurance for those times when it’s truly necessary.

What to Consider Before Filing a Claim

To get at the answer of when it’s wise to use insurance to cover damage to your home, it helps to break things down a bit:

• How much damage is there? Does it cover a large area or multiple rooms? If so, the repair job may be costly enough to justify using your insurance.
• Are the damaged areas finished? If you have carpet, drywall, or expensive wood flooring that’s been damaged, these can be very difficult to dry and may need to be replaced. Replacing all these finished surfaces can be costly, so using insurance to pay for the repairs may be a smart idea.
• Do you have a lot of possessions (such as furniture, electronics and artwork) that have also sustained damage? If so, check your insurance policy to see if it includes contents coverage—if it does, the value of your damaged possessions may make using your insurance a good option.

If you’ve gone over these three areas and still aren’t sure whether paying for repairs through insurance is a good idea, you can call a professional restoration company like Restoration Now! Omaha. Our water, fire, and mold restoration specialists can assist you in making the decision of whether to file a claim.

Contact Restoration Now! Omaha Today at (402) 502-7277!

Restoration Now! Omaha is a full-service, water, fire and mold damage restoration company in Omaha, Nebraska. Our team of damage restoration specialists can help you get your home back to normal quickly and painlessly! We offer 24/7 emergency service, so contact us any time at (402) 502-7277 and let us get started putting the pieces back together.