We Minimize Business Interruption – Commercial Water Damage Restoration – ServiceMaster Restoration By Simons
ServiceMaster Restoration By Simons wants you to know that Water Damage to a business is more than a nuisance. There can be profound implications involved – damage to a building and equipment can be severe and costly, which can shut a business down for long periods and threaten its existence and the livelihoods of its employees or tenants. It can also endanger their health.
Commercial Water Damage can come from several sources. Rusted pipes can burst, faulty or improperly installed fittings leak, ceiling-mounted fire extinguishers can inadvertently go off, and heating systems may fail. Weather-related water damage can also occur, resulting in roof damage caused by storms and flooding that may inundate the structure.
According to Patrick Daley, Head of Large Property with The Hartford, “Water damage is one of the largest loss causes we deal with in the commercial insurance industry, yet only a small percentage of clients have a formal Water Damage Prevention Plan in place.” In 2019, the average commercial water damage claim was $89,000. Water damage claims are over 50% of all commercial property insurance claims!
Property and Equipment Damage
Water damage can impact every part of a company. Many Chicagoland businesses have heavily invested in machinery, electronics, and supplies. Most of these can be expensive and not easily repaired or replaced. And then there’s the damage to the building’s structure.
Flooding could compromise a building’s foundation, drywall, ceiling, floors, and fixtures. Long-term exposure to standing water and the additional moisture produced during flood damage events in the Chicagoland area can cause permanent and expensive damage to a foundation.
Even masonry, concrete, or stone foundations can soak up small amounts of water through cracks and pores. These pockets of water can create defects in the building’s foundation that will weaken the entire structure. In the winter, water trapped inside those cracks expands as it freezes, further enlarging cracks and resulting in serious structural integrity issues that can be extremely expensive. Compromised foundations can also allow water to seep into a building. Before long, stock and supplies are ruined, as well as the renter’s possessions.
Health and Safety Concerns
Water damage in commercial buildings also presents significant health risks to employees and tenants. Wet areas can increase workplace accidents, from defective equipment to slip-and-fall or electrocution.
Whether catastrophic or minor, water damage can promote mold growth. Mold can grow wherever there’s moisture, such as around leaks in roofs, around windows or pipes, or where there’s been flooding. It can grow almost anywhere, especially where it finds food, such as porous surfaces like paper, cardboard, drywall, and wood. Mold can also grow on nonporous materials like concrete and brick. And with the right temperature, moisture, and food, mold will grow almost anywhere.
According to the CDC, if an employee or tenant is highly sensitive to mold, they may show symptoms such as difficulty breathing, a bloody nose, and itchy, watery eyes. Those with compromised immune symptoms are also at risk, and some studies suggest serious health effects can crop up from repeated exposure to mold.
Financial Risks
Lastly, the most significant risks of commercial water damage are long-term and short-term financial costs. Each business has its own set of challenges. For example, rental properties suffer a loss of rental income from tenants who cannot occupy a damaged property. Retail businesses may lose income from property damage and/or from being open for fewer hours. And the list goes on.
Businesses also lose profits when they have to pay for water damage repairs. These could include insurance deductible payments if covered by a policy or losses that insurance won’t cover fully. The claims processes and repairs are also time-consuming, necessitating property owners to be away from their businesses.
Keeping Your Business Open
Over the years, ServiceMaster By Simons has worked with many Chicagoland businesses and property owners. We’ve usually found ways to keep them open and operating as efficiently as possible during the restoration process. We do this by keeping a clear channel of communication open with property owners or managers so that we’ll know their requirements and how we can operate around them.
We can also handle the headaches of working with insurance companies. Our expert team will create an estimate, document the claim, and submit it directly to the company. We help business owners understand what their insurance will and won’t cover and the budget they’ll need to make critically needed repairs.
Water damage can be challenging, but you can handle it when working with the best team.