7 Tips on How to Choose the Right Restoration Company for Your Home

Key Takeaways:

• Response time is a really important deciding factor when it comes to hiring restoration experts.
• You should match a company’s specialty to the type of damage you have instead of hiring whoever is available first.
• Certification, insurance handling, and a written guarantee are also top priorities when comparing damage remediation experts.
• When you find a good company, ensure their contractors are in-house instead of outsourced.

Most people only consider a restoration company’s qualifications when it’s time to hire one. And this usually happens under the worst conditions of their lives. But if you learn how to choose a restoration company before disaster strikes, the process runs a lot smoother and the job gets done right.

Alongside our Home Damage Prevention and Home Insurance guides, Hightower Disaster Restoration offers you 7 quick tips to keep in your back pocket before hiring restoration experts. Learn why it’s important to vet for good response times, staffing business models, professional credentials, expertise, insurance coverage, reviews and warranties, and watch out for certain pressure tactics.

#1 Ask About Response Time

Calling around for quotes takes time, and that time should be reserved for the prevention of further damage. Every hour a property sits untreated, recovery takes longer and costs more, as small damages turn into big ones.

Why speed should be the first consideration in choosing a restoration company:

• Water: Sitting water gives way to mold or structural damage that will need not only a damage remediation specialist, but also a construction crew to mitigate.
• Fire: Damage from a fire, even a small one, can be hazardous to you and your family. The right restoration company can get your home back to livable condition quickly.
• Smoke: Soot deposits are acidic, so they can corrode even metal if left too long. Not to mention the odor that’s hard to remove from the porous materials around the affected area.

Whether you’re calling around now or the day of, ask the company for an arrival estimate. If you’re getting the runaround or a call back that takes days, that’s a telltale sign of a slow-moving team. 

#2 Confirm Who Does the Work

Next, you want to choose a restoration company based on how they staff their projects. Plenty of companies book the job and then offload it to whichever subcontractor wants it. The problem with that is you end up with rotating crews, inconsistent QA standards, and no clear accountability when something goes wrong.

Ask directly whether the people you’re hiring are actual employees of the company. For instance, every remediation technician at Hightower Disaster Restoration is on our own payroll and trained to meet our excellent safety standards.

#3 Check Certifications and Standards

Damage restoration is a professional business with real criteria behind it. The Institute of Inspection Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC) publishes the smoke, fire, and water protocols the industry works under. The EPA covers safe and effective mold remediation standards as well. The absolute best mold remediation company for your damage restoration project should be more than familiar with these protocols.

Anyone serious about choosing a restoration company should know how to verify credentials directly. The IICRC Global Locator lets you check a firm’s certification before hiring restoration experts. 

#4 Match the Specialty to the Damage

Damage remediation is not a single skill. A crew that handles burst pipes well may have little experience with the aftermath of fire. But the best water damage restoration company is staffed for more than one type of loss, which matters when damage crosses categories.

When thinking about how to choose a restoration company, ask them what they actually do in-house. The best fire restoration company can also handle asbestos, storm cleanup, virus and pathogen cleaning, and all other restoration mitigation situations.

#5 Ask How Insurance Is Handled

Insurance paperwork is where restoration projects stall and stress grows. Some companies leave it to you to chase adjusters while your property is waiting to be serviced. Hightower Disaster Restoration bills insurers directly and coordinates the claim. We work for you, not the insurance company, and you decide how involved you want to be. 

So, however insurance handling comes up, you need an honest conversation when reaching out to a restoration company of choice. Ask who handles documentation, billing, and the back-and-forth with your provider. 

#6 Check Reviews and Guarantees

Almost everyone knows to check reviews before hiring restoration experts, but what types of damage restoration reviews should you be looking for? Reviews tell you about the experience just as much as the work performed. Look for repeated mentions of communication, punctuality, and crews that showed up prepared.

When choosing a restoration company, you need to know what happens if the work falls short of expectations. A guarantee in writing is the clearest signal of commitment you can get from a restoration team, so don’t forget to ask to see their work guarantees and warranties. 

#7 Watch for Pressure Tactics

Unfortunately, during times of distress, some companies will try to take advantage of you for a quick buck. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) warns that unlicensed operators turn up in recovery zones after storms. These are always scams, so you want to protect your property and your pocketbook.

So how do you choose the right restoration company amid bad actors? The warning signs are clear: full payment demanded up front, a discount that expires unless you sign today, or a request that you sign your insurance check over to them. Legitimate companies do not need to rush you or put pressure on you in any way.

Hightower Disaster Restoration: One of the Best Disaster Recovery Companies in Connecticut

Hightower Disaster Restoration has been in business since 1983, and we’ve seen many questions come across our desk. These 7 how-to tips should help you narrow down your search and choose the right restoration company.

At Hightower Disaster Restoration, we guarantee our work and deal with your insurer directly. We are certified in all damage remediation and restoration sectors, so you’re completely covered end-to-end. 

If you need a professional team at your property, call us 24/7 or request a callback online.