Orlando, Fla.—No business owner wants to ever have to deal with this, but things happen and situations like an electrical fire, burglary, customer injury or any other damages caused by either a hurricane, wildfire, flood or any other catastrophic event CAN SET YOUR BUSINESS BACK.

Are you aware of your clear steps to initiate a fast recovery for your business after one of these events?

If you are adequately insured, you can keep your business operating, while you recover. Once you’ve responded to any immediate onsite emergency, follow the steps below to file your claim so you can get your business back on track quickly:

• Contact your insurance agent as soon as possible - At Garzor Insurance, we will provide assistance with responding to your loss and filing your claim. If damage is extensive, your insurer may send an adjuster to inspect the property.
  
• Contact the police if necessary - If your business loss is due to a crime, you’ll want to contact the police and obtain a copy of the police report.
• Review your insurance policy - Your policy may specify steps that you need to take when an insurable loss occurs.
• Prepare an inventory - To substantiate your loss, prepare an inventory of damaged or destroyed items and give a copy to your insurance company and/or adjuster along with copies of any receipts.
• Provide proof of loss - You’ll be asked to send a signed, sworn proof of loss containing the information requested to investigate the claim. This must be done within 60 days after the initial insurer request.
• Be ready for the adjuster - If your insurer sends an adjuster, be prepared to have him or her inspect the property and examine books and records.
• Document damage to your property - Identify damage to your building and other structures and make a list of everything you want to show the adjuster, for example, cracks in the walls or missing roof tiles. You may want to consider taking photos or video of the damage.
• Make temporary repairs if needed - Take reasonable steps to protect your property from further damage—provided the area is safe to access. If immediate repairs to equipment are necessary, save the damaged parts in case the claims adjuster is interested in examining them. Save receipts for what you spend so you can submit them to your insurance company for reimbursement—and remember that payments for temporary repairs are part of the total settlement.
• Get at least two Bids for repairs - Repairs or replacements should be bid competitively in order to provide options and hold down costs.
• Staying organized - Keep copies of all the documents you submit to your insurance company, as well as any paperwork your insurance company provides you. And record the names and phone numbers of everyone you are in contact with during the claims filing process.

Your agent will also guide you through additional steps if your business was forced to relocate, or temporarily close, to deal with those extra expense claims. Also, in the event of a Civil authority claim your Business Owners Policy or Commercial Package Policy may include coverage if government action restricts access to your business’s premises.

At Garzor Insurance our experienced professionals are dedicated to providing commercial insurance coverage for businesses in Florida as well as Georgia, Texas, and now many other states across the U.S.A. If you have questions about business insurance, or any other commercial insurance aspects, please do not hesitate to visit us online at Garzor Insurance, or you may want to call us directly at (321) 206-8035. 

Yaralyn Diaz, CSR

Commercial Lines CSR