We all know that when it comes to supplements, we don’t control the timeline, the insurance carriers do. But, there are some things you can do to avoid unnecessary delays and get that check cut a little bit faster.
- Make sure you have accurate contact information for your homeowners. Having a valid email address that your homeowner checks regularly is extremely important. When the job is almost complete, inform your homeowner to be on the lookout for any invoices in his or her email. Additionally, make sure you have the correct mailing address.
Note, if the house is a rental, the address where the homeowner receives mail will likely be different from the address of your job. Collect payment for upgrades, deductibles, and other out of pocket expenses during contract signing or the production process. This will protect you if a homeowner doesn’t have those funds at the time of project completion due to other unexpected expenses.
If you set clear expectations with your homeowner about what is being collected, and when, this should not be an issue.
- Be sure to get any service issues dealt with immediately and take photos of those services. The sooner you get your production crew aware of additional services, the quicker the homeowner is satisfied, and the faster you will get paid.
- Always take completion photos when the job is complete. Most insurance companies will require these before depreciation can be released.
Submit for depreciation as soon as all repairs are complete. This will get depreciation on the way to the homeowner as quickly as possible.
If you have hired Elite Claim Solutions, we will take care of this for you and will follow up weekly until that depreciation is in route.Try to find out from the homeowner up front if the mortgage company will be on the insurance checks. If the mortgage company is on the check, it can hold up the process, but, if the homeowners know about it in advance, they will know what steps to take when they get the check.
Before the final check is cut, have the homeowner ask their mortgage company about the process they will need to follow – many times, there are forms to fill out, scheduled inspections and additional questions to answer.
Note, the mortgage company will not follow up with the homeowners, so the homeowners must be diligent and follow up on a weekly basis.