Protect Your Business: Understanding What Commercial Property Insurance Covers

4/27/2023 (Permalink)

Commercial property insurance is an essential investment for business owners.

As a business owner, you have invested a lot of time, money, and effort into building your company. Whether you own a small startup or a large corporation, it is important to protect your business from unforeseen disasters and events that could potentially destroy everything you have built. One of the most important things you can do to safeguard your business is to obtain commercial property insurance. In this blog, we will discuss what commercial property insurance covers and why it is essential for every business owner to have.

What is Commercial Property Insurance?

Commercial property insurance is a type of insurance policy that provides coverage for damages to your business property caused by certain covered events such as fire, theft, vandalism, and natural disasters. It typically covers a variety of structures, including your business building, equipment, furniture, inventory, and other physical assets.

What Does Commercial Property Insurance Cover?

Commercial property insurance typically covers damages to your business property caused by certain covered events. These covered events can include:

Fire and Smoke Damage: This coverage includes damages caused by fire, smoke, and other related events. It can cover everything from the building structure to the contents inside.

Theft and Vandalism: This coverage provides protection for your business property in case of theft or vandalism. It can include damage to your building, equipment, and inventory.

Water Damage: This coverage includes damages caused by water, such as from a burst pipe or a severe storm.

Natural Disasters: This coverage provides protection for your business in the event of a natural disaster such as a tornado, hurricane, or earthquake.

Business Interruption: This coverage helps to cover lost income if your business is forced to close due to a covered event.

Why is Commercial Property Insurance Important for Business Owners?

Commercial property insurance is important for business owners because it provides a layer of protection for your business. If your business suffers damages or losses due to an unforeseen event, commercial property insurance can help cover the costs of repairs or replacements. Without insurance, business owners would have to cover these expenses out of pocket, which can be financially devastating.

Additionally, commercial property insurance can also provide coverage for business interruption. If your business is forced to close due to a covered event, this coverage can help replace lost income and keep your business afloat until you can reopen.

How to Choose the Right Commercial Property Insurance Policy?

Choosing the right commercial property insurance policy for your business can be a daunting task, but it is essential to take the time to carefully review your options. Here are some tips to help you choose the right commercial property insurance policy for your business:

Determine your coverage needs: Before you start shopping for insurance, determine your coverage needs. Consider the value of your business property and the types of events you want coverage for.

Shop around: Get quotes from multiple insurance providers to compare coverage and pricing.

Review the policy carefully: Make sure you understand what is covered under the policy and any exclusions.

Consider additional coverage: Depending on your business, you may need additional coverage beyond what is included in a standard policy.

In conclusion, commercial property insurance is an essential investment for business owners. It provides coverage for damages to your business property caused by certain covered events, and can also provide coverage for business interruption. Take the time to carefully review your options and choose the right policy for your business needs.

Should You Choose the Mitigation Company to do the Rebuild?

10/14/2022 (Permalink)

Fire mitigation is the process of removing the soot and smoke from your house or building.

Why Should You Hire a Professional After a Fire?

What happens after a fire? There are many services that will be needed to restore your home or business, but one of the most important is fire mitigation. If you want to get back on your feet after a fire as quickly as possible, it's best to hire one company to do both the cleanup and rebuild. Let's take a look at why that might be the best option for you.

Having a fire in your home or business is a terrible experience.

Having a fire in your home or business is a terrible experience. You may be left with nothing but the shirt on your back, and you will be faced with rebuilding from scratch. This can take months or even years, depending on the extent of damage done to your property and how much time it takes to get approval to start repairs.

While there is no way to completely eliminate this risk, you can take steps to minimize it. One of these steps is hiring a mitigation company that can help you recover quickly after an event like this happens at your place of business or residence.

The efforts to restore a fire-damaged building begin with removing the water and smoke damage.

The first step in restoring a fire-damaged building is to remove the water and smoke damage. Water damage is the most common type of damage you will see at a fire scene, so this is usually your priority. You must remove all the water from your home or business before it turns into mold, which can cause serious damage to your property.

Fire mitigation should start as soon as possible.

Fire mitigation is the process of removing the soot, smoke, and ash from your house or building and starts as soon as possible after a fire. The mitigation company will work with the insurance company to determine the extent of the damage and the type of restoration needed.

The mitigation team will remove smoke and water damage to your property, clean up after any fire-related messes that were left behind by emergency responders, make sure that mold doesn’t start growing on your property, replace damaged material on your property, etc.

Quickly hiring one company to perform cleanup and rebuild will help your business get back up and running.

If you are looking for a single company to handle both the damage cleanup service and rebuild, then come in and see us. We can help you get back on your feet faster.

One of the biggest benefits of using a single company is that they can save time and money. You won’t have to deal with two separate companies trying to coordinate schedules or even worse, paying two sets of bills! This way, you only have one point of contact when it comes to all things related to your property recovery needs. Our SERVPRO team will also work with your insurance company throughout the entire claims process.

There are many things to consider when deciding whether or not to hire a fire mitigation company, but the most important thing is that you do your research. If you have questions about how this process works or what steps should be taken next, don’t hesitate and give our SERVPRO of New Hyde Park/Mineola team a call today!

Document Drying: What Is It and Why Choose SERVPRO

6/3/2022 (Permalink)

Document restoration can be performed only by professionals.

When you experience a fire, flood, or other emergencies in Bellerose, NY, you'll need to act quickly to restore damaged documents. Whether the damage is caused by mold, smoke, or water, restoration of paper goods should happen as soon as the deterioration has occurred. Look for a leader in document and photo restoration, with many locations throughout the United States.

What Is Document Restoration?

Restoration and recovery of documents, photographs, and other important items made from paper is a method that revitalizes the items back to their initial state. In this way, not only can the original owner have possession of the document, but for generations to follow.
Some things that you may want to be restored when damaged are:

• Maps and property records
  
• Historical and family lineage records
  
• Personal vital records
  
  

Not every article of paper is converted to digital and future eras may want to have access to articles of importance no matter their ability to gain permission to view them online. Let your future lineage see what is important to you now.

Why SERVPRO?
When searching for quality cleaning and document restoration, you want a company that knows where it came from and where it is going. A trained team and experience in specialty services can help you sort the professionals from the amateur. Many commercial companies charge exorbitant fees, but a well-established business can save you costs and get better outcomes. Technology that is state-of-the-art is preferred to older, less reliable methods of document drying. Go to a name you can trust to restore new life to your paper articles.
The longer your essential documents sit unrestored, the more likely there is extra damage beyond repair. Document restoration, when attended to swiftly, can restore any archived items to as close to the original, before damage condition. Emergencies in Bellerose, NY, can be handled efficiently when the proper documents are restored and refreshed. 

3 Reasons Why Mold Might Form in Your Business Property’s HVAC System

5/27/2022 (Permalink)

Keep your air ducts clean.

Three Reasons Mold Could Form in Your Commercial HVAC System

Protecting your Floral Park, NY, business from a mold invasion can be challenging, especially when it hides in places you least expect. Black mold is usually the most common and most widespread type of mold you might encounter, especially in your building’s heating, ventilation and air conditioning system. This might seem strange, as the system is enclosed by ductwork, but there are several reasons why mold might form there.

1. The Humid Environment
Your building’s HVAC system is a complicated maze of air ducts that foster a warm, humid environment, which is the perfect setting for mold growth. Most kinds of fungi thrive in such a setting, and if your building is naturally humid, this may only increase the problem. Taking steps to decrease moisture can lower the risk of mold growth in your HVAC ducts.

2. Incorrect AC Unit Size
When your air conditioner is either too large or too small for the building it cools, it can encourage mold growth. For example, a system that is too large may run in shorter cycles and fail to dehumidify the building’s air, which may increase moisture in the ductwork. Many types of fungi, including black mold, can thrive when this occurs. Over time, you may notice a musty, unpleasant smell when you use the system as the growth spreads and grows larger.

3. Duct Leaks
If your building’s HVAC ducts have leaks, this can allow warm air to seep in and meet with the colder air inside the system, which creates a moist environment where mold can grow. Calling in a mold mitigation and removal service to clean ducts and repair the leakage may improve the way your system operates and reduce the risk of mold growth.
Black mold and other types of fungi in your HVAC system can have a negative impact on your Floral Park, NY, business. Knowing what might cause this problem can help you prevent and recognize it so you can reach out for help before it gets worse.

How To Fix Water Damaged Electronics

5/27/2022 (Permalink)

Electronic damage can be repaired if you properly remove the devices from the water and dry them thoroughly.

How To Safely Remove Flooded Electronics

If your electronics have recently been damaged by water, you may still be able to save them. Business owners in Bellerose, NY, should know how to safely remove flooded electronics from water and how to repair electronic damage.

Risks
Handling flooded electronics presents several risks:

• Electrocution
  
• Fire
  
• Smoke
  
• Chemical hazards
  
  

You should always exercise extreme caution when dealing with damaged devices. If you do not know how to handle the electronics or feel that your safety may be at risk, call a water damage repair specialist in Bellerose, NY, to assist you.

Removing Electronics
The first thing you need to do is remove the damaged electronics from the water. If the device is plugged into an outlet, you should turn off the power in the area to avoid electrocution. If the device is submerged in water or you are in contact with any flooding, make sure there is no risk of electrocution before handling any electronics. Be cautious when handling battery-powered devices as well. If they are warm, smoking or behaving strangely, the damaged batteries may be fire or chemical hazards.

Drying the Device
Once you have removed the device from the water and turned it off, you can begin drying the device. You should first allow the liquid to drain by turning the device over several times and gently shaking it.
Next, you will want to disassemble the damaged electronics as much as possible, starting with removing the batteries if applicable. This will allow you to clean the inside of the device and allow the components to dry fully before reassembling. Before reassembling, you may also need to clean the circuit boards and replace damaged batteries with new ones.
If the electronics do not work after completing these steps, you may need to consult a water damage restoration specialist or an electrician to see if they are salvageable.
Electronic damage can be repaired if you properly remove the devices from the water and dry them thoroughly. You should always use caution when handling flooded electronics to avoid risks of electrocution, fire, smoke and chemical hazards.

Mold Issues? Stop the Spread by Using These 4 Techniques

4/5/2022 (Permalink)

Water damage can easily lead to mold damage if the water is not properly handled in a timely manner.

Do You Have a Mold Problem

Black mold is hazardous when it interacts with water and organic material. The three factors combined kick off the spores' reproduction, allowing them to multiply swiftly. Within one to two days, the fungus may move throughout the room and possibly inhabit other business spaces. It's important that business owners in Williston Park, NY, promptly react to water damage to avoid creating a major cleanup process. The following steps may mitigate the harm, so proprietors should implement them right away.

1. Remove the Moisture

Water feeds fungal spores, so shut down the supply at the beginning of mold cleanup. If a pipeline is involved, turn off the valve, preventing more moisture from entering the premises. Once that is accomplished, have the source of the trouble repaired. Finally, use a wet vacuum and towels to pull up puddles and run industrial dehumidifiers to suck up the dampness from the walls and air.

2. Inspect the Premises

Because the wetness hides inside of drywall and under the floor, have professionals with a water remediation company evaluate the problem's extent. They can assess for black mold in the air and within the structure, dictating how much work is required to restore the building.

3. Refrain from Using the AC

If the moisture problem also involved the air conditioner unit, the spores may have entered the system. Inspect the vents and covers, looking for signs of infestation. If you still aren't sure, have experts look it over as well. Do not run the air until it's been cleared. The cool air feels good, but it moves the spores from room to room, creating a much larger contamination concern.

4. Extract Soggy, Porous Materials

Bleach and other chemicals work well to kill surface fungus; however, they do not guarantee internal sanitation; therefore, remove drenched belongings and materials such as drywall and flooring to lower the spore count.
Proactive approaches to black mold may minimize repair costs and damage. Business owners should take any sign of moisture exposure seriously, working with professionals to dry and mend the building.

Can Winter Storms Cause Water Damage?

2/7/2022 (Permalink)

Frozen pipes are one of the most common causes of water damage during the winter.

Causes of Frozen Pipes and How To Prevent Them

Water damage can occur at any time of year, but winter storms pose several unique risks. Find out more about the causes of a burst pipe, ice damming and leaks during cold weather, and how to prevent these situations.

Frozen Pipes

Frozen pipes are one of the most common causes of water damage during the winter. Water can freeze in an exposed pipe when the temperature dips below freezing. This blockage will cause pressure to build up in the frozen pipe and may cause the pipe to burst. Building owners or managers can take several measures to prevent frozen pipes:

• Insulate exposed pipes
  
• Drip faucets
  
• Maintain consistent interior temperatures
  
  

These methods can help building owners avoid costly water damage from a burst pipe. This cause of major wintertime damage can usually be prevented.

Ice Damming

A blocked drainage system can cause ice to melt and refreeze on the roof of a building. Standing water can cause any roofing materials to deteriorate. Make sure that roof drains, gutters and downspouts are clear, and that attic and roof temperatures remain as consistent as possible.

Leaks and Thawing

As snow and ice thaws, it may result in a leak. This is particularly the case if roofing or building materials have sustained damage due to winter storms. There are several ways to prevent leaks:

• Regular annual inspections
  
• Checks throughout the year
  
• Monitoring the structure for leaks
  
  

Leaks from a roof or through a building envelope will cause water damage and may increase the risk of mold. It is important that building owners take measures to seal out water.

All of these factors may result in wintertime water damage to a commercial structure in Floral Park, NY. In the event of a burst pipe or any other type of damage, a building owner or manager should contact a mitigation and restoration company as soon as possible.