Frequently Asked Questions

Insurance coverage is very situationally dependent. Each policy from each different company will have different levels and types of coverage. The best way to know if your damage is covered is to keep a copy of your policy on hand and call your agent directly with any questions you might have.

Many insurance companies provide coverage for sudden and unexpected water losses, so we do recommend you contact your insurance company upon noticing the water damage. We work directly with your insurance company during the process and will include them in correspondence with you so they can stay updated with the claim. If you do not have coverage, any services we perform are considered self-pay and will be due upon completion of the work. In most self-pay mitigations, we require at least a 50% deposit before starting the mitigation work, and the final 50% is due upon completion.

A deductible is the portion of the claim that you are directly responsible for paying. Deductibles vary depending on the amount you have chosen during your initial insurance selection, and they usually range from $500-$5000. Please consult your insurance agent or your policy for this information. Usually, insurance companies will fully pay for the mitigation costs and will deduct your deductible from the total amount they are willing to pay toward repairs.

For example: If we estimate your repairs to cost $5000.00 and your deductible is $1000.00, your insurance company will issue you a check for $4000.00, and you are responsible for paying the additional $1000.00 to us for the repairs.

Depreciation or holdback is money that your insurance company will hold until you can prove you have spent your claim money for the full replacement cost of your loss. They hold a specific amount back from the repair portion of the project until we send them completion photos as well as a certificate of satisfaction. Once they issue the final check, it is immediately due to ANR Restoration. The hold-back amount can usually be found on either the adjuster's repair estimate or the repair check stub they issued to you.

If the check you have received is for water mitigation and is made out ONLY to you, you can deposit the check and write a separate personal check to ANR Restoration for the balance due. If the check is made out to both you and ANR Restoration, please sign the check, and we will set up an appointment time to collect the payment from you. If the check is made out to you and your Mortgage holder, the checks MUST immediately be sent to your mortgage company to be signed and released. Payments can also be mailed directly to our office address.

If the check is for repairs, and you would like ANR Restoration to complete the work, you can use part or all of the repair check to make a deposit towards repairs. We do require a 50% deposit to begin scheduling repair work.

If your check needs to go to the mortgage company to be released, please call your mortgage lender and find out what information they will need in order to release the check and where you need to send it. Many mortgage companies will require that you send a copy of ALL documentation, including approved estimates, invoices, a certificate of satisfaction, and contractor information. This can be a lengthy process, so please stay in touch with your mortgage company and keep us informed if they need any further information from us in order to release the check.

Water mitigation is the process of removing any water and any wet materials in order to fully dry the home. Once the source of the water is contained, our technicians can extract any pooling water from the wet areas and use moisture measuring and detection equipment to discover the amount of moisture in the wall cavities and the air. We then formulate a drying plan to determine the best methods of restoration for your home and place a variety of drying equipment, including air movers and commercial-grade dehumidifiers, to completely dry the materials and environment. The entire drying process typically takes about three to five days to complete. All of the drying is documented in our metadata logs.

Many factors come into play to determine the final cost of your mitigation. Upon our initial inspection, if requested, we can estimate the cost of the water mitigation on the available information and measurements taken at that time. The final cost cannot be determined until the dry-out process is fully complete, as sometimes more materials may need to be removed, or we may run into fungal growth.

Most homeowners' policies cover most water damages, but not all water damages are created equal. There can be a lot of exceptions to coverage depending on the intricacies of your policy. This is why it's a good idea to be familiar with your policy and call your agent immediately when damage occurs.

Seeing your home damaged is extremely stressful as a homeowner, and it's difficult to know the right course of action. Will trying to clean up on your own help or just make things worse? No matter what kind of damage you've incurred, the very first thing you should do is take photographs as long as the area is safe for you to be in. If you have water damage, the best thing to do is extract as much standing water as you possibly can while you wait for help. If you have fans, set them to start drying things as much as possible. They won't be enough to dry the area completely, but they can help to minimize the chance of secondary damage. In the event of mold or fire, it's best to just leave the damage alone until a professional from ANR can address it. Disturbed mold can disperse spores throughout the home, and fire damages can worsen if improper cleaning techniques are used.

Not typically. Because we mostly deal with insurance companies, they require separate estimates for the mitigation versus the repairs. Unless specifically noted in your estimate or billing, repairs are a separate additional cost to the mitigation. Upon billing for the mitigation work, we will also submit an estimate for repairs for you and your insurance company to approve.

Once the dry-out is completed, we will send out an email with all of the following:

• The estimate for the work that has been completed.
• The invoice for the work completed per the above estimate
• Your signed contract and the drying logs.
• The estimate for the repairs, if applicable.

Payment for completed services is due within 30 days to avoid a 1.5% interest charge per month. If we do not receive a payment within 90 days, some accounts are considered for our collections company and are subject to an additional 35% unless otherwise noted. We will always attempt to collect the funds before this occurs and will make every effort to resolve any billing issues with you or your insurance company promptly.

The short answer is yes if the residence is safe. The safety of our customers and employees is our number one priority. Each case is different depending on the severity of the damage and is evaluated on its own problems. We help you to remain in your residence when feasible. However, if deemed hazardous, we can suggest to your insurance company to provide you with a temporary relocation. The drying equipment can be loud and usually must run for several days continuously during the drying period to achieve our drying goals. This is your personal decision. We do need to access the home each day of the drying process to monitor the equipment until the home is dry. We can set up a lock box if you will not be living in the home during this time.

Each water-damaging event presents an opening for mold to grow from dormant spores or other microbial growth. The source and type of water, as well as the volume of the water, the ambient temperature, and the length of time the moisture has been present, all have a direct bearing on the amount and types of microbial growth species. It is critical to take action as soon as you understand that a water damage loss has occurred. Growth can begin within 72 hours in some cases.

If mold is discovered, we will do our best to discern whether the growth is limited to only the wet areas affected by the water loss. Pre-existing mold damage is usually not covered under mitigation costs and will require a separate estimate for removal. If it is a very small area related to water loss, we will try to get approval from the insurance company to treat the area. We will set up a containment, and then we apply an EPA-certified antimicrobial agent to the area to kill the fungal growth, followed by a HEPA vacuum treatment, and in some cases, we'll seal the surface with an approved sealant. If additional growth is found in the dry areas of the home by the homeowner, whether during or after the dry-out, we recommend that you have mold testing done in the home as it is most likely a previous fungal growth present before the water loss occurred. Many insurance companies have their own stipulations regarding fungal growth, and coverage is specific to your own policy.

If you have repairs that will be billed through your insurance provider, we do require approval from your insurance adjuster before moving forward. Many times, insurance adjusters will request revisions to our estimate before they approve the final amount, so this process can typically take two to five weeks. Once you have approval for the repairs, your insurance adjuster will usually issue you a check for the repairs needed, minus your deductible. At that point, we can get you in touch with our Project Manager to discuss the next steps of the project and to determine which bid items you'd like us to complete. A deposit of at least 50% is due before we can move forward with scheduling.

Repair lead times are dependent upon the deposit being made and the repair contract being signed. They are also highly dependent upon our schedule in place at the time of your approval. We work with a select handful of contractors to make sure the work is up to our standards, and this can increase lead times for the repairs to be completed. We will always be upfront regarding our current lead times and will do our best to schedule you promptly. You do have the right to select the company that completes your repairs, so please let us know if you decide to move forward with another contractor so we can file your project away.

The completion time depends upon the repairs needing to be completed. Simple repairs like relaying the carpet and new pad, once approved, can take one to two weeks to schedule and complete. More involved repairs that include drywall, painting, cabinetry, or any repairs that need samples picked out, can take longer to set up. Typically scheduling delays during our busy season is four to eight weeks out for larger projects. Once the repairs have begun, we complete most projects in 7-14 business days, depending on the size. We will have a repair schedule reviewed with you upon finalizing our contractors.