Weather-Related Property Damage Assessment
Handling weather-related claims involving property damage to buildings as a result of hurricanes, hail, heavy rain or tornadoes requires claims professionals to take important steps to ensure successful claim resolution.
These steps include:
1) Verification of the cause to apply coverage
2) Evaluation of the scope of damages
3) Repair and replacement cost analysis.
The process is not as simple as it sounds. In cases of water infiltration into a building, for example, damage caused from building components' exposure to moisture can lead to catastrophic failure over time. Water seepage into buildings as a result of weather-related conditions can be caused by a variety of factors. Wind and hail often damage a building's protective envelope which can lead to water infiltration.
Construction defect related to a building's structural composition or materials used during construction can also result in water seepage. In some cases, normal wear and tear, or lack of building maintenance can cause a building or structure to be more susceptible to weather-related damages like water seepage.
Once the cause of loss is verified and determination that the damage is covered has been made, determining the necessary action to return the structure to pre-loss condition requires further understanding of the construction material involved, as well as the different ways components are manufactured and more importantly attached to each other. Any building code compliance updates/upgrades that may be triggered are also reviewed at this time for applicability.
Once the cause of loss has been determined, the cost analysis process begins. Since storms do not target isolated structures, but instead impact entire neighborhoods, the material, labor, and contractor costs/estimates associated with repair or replacement fluctuate greatly and can be inflated by different factors, such as availability of resources, immediately after the storm. Determining the right cost requires an understanding of the process involved and close knowledge of market conditions in a given area.
When faced with weather-related property damage claims, contact the engineers at LWG Consulting to assist with your investigations. Please contact us at + 1 847-559-3000.