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“Materials pack-out” is a term used by water and fire restoration contractors and insurance companies. This is the process in which a contractor sends trucks, boxes, and workers to your home. They pack up all damaged personal property in your home or business and transport it back to their warehouse. Once the personal property is in the warehouse, the contractor begins the process of cleaning and restoration.
Insurance companies don’t like to replace personal property. Rather, they will clean or repair it and return it to you. This brings down the cost of their claims drastically, which makes them happy.
I have been an insurance adjuster for over 16 years, and have been in the insurance business for over 35 years. I have seen very few instances where seriously damaged personal property can be successfully cleaned or repaired. Most fires burn or release toxic chemicals into personal possessions, such as wood or clothing. The same goes for flood damage. My personal opinion is that replacement of damaged personal property is better than repair or cleaning.
So, what is a trap?
Insurance adjusters love to swoop in and “pack-out” with their preferred approved restoration contractor. But your insurance policy has a limit on personal property. Any monies authorized by the insurance adjuster to clean your contents are paid against the policy limit. So, if the restoration contractor cleans up a bunch of your damaged property, but you reject it as damaged, the contractor still gets paid. But now you have less money to replace your damaged personal property.
The trap is that a pack-out can get you penalized while you are submitting your insurance claim!
here’s the escape strategy
1. You own the private property… neither the insurance company nor the restoration contractor. It is your decision whether to repair or replace, not the adjuster’s.
2. Call your own restoration contractor for a second opinion. It shouldn’t cost you anything, but if it does, it will be money well spent.
3. Make sure each item you want to remove from your home is listed on the inventory sheet.
4. Based on the opinion of your contractor, negotiate a replacement with the adjuster and settle the claim.
If you have experienced property damage, whether it is fire, wind, flood or other, you need to know the strategies for winning an insurance claim. The insurance company won’t tell you the claim process, but I will. I’ll show you how you can take control of your insurance claim, and add hundreds or even thousands of dollars to your claim settlement. For more information, visit the website listed below.
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