Spring Cleaning — Property Insurance Style

We are all looking forward to the return of spring after the long winter we all endured. For most commercial property owners in the Midwest, spring is synonymous with cleaning and assessing damages or maintenance issues that may have occurred during the winter. While maintaining your property is a tedious job, doing so is essential for the successful operation of your property. Furthermore, attending to these needs may be the difference between the “approval” or “denial” of a commercial property damage insurance claim, should you experience damage to your property.

Here are a few items to keep in mind when spring cleaning your commercial property:

Annual HVAC Evaluations

Now is a great time to schedule the inspection, maintenance, and any repairs to the property’s HVAC systems. For those managing commercial properties, especially if they are occupied by tenants, scheduling an annual inspection before the beginning of spring, allows the technicians to check to see that the air conditioning units are working properly right before a new cooling season commences.

Checking/Clearing Drains and Plumbing

This is the perfect time to schedule gutter and roof drain cleanings, as it is more likely to rain than snow. While you are in the process of cleaning these critical building components, it is a good idea to ensure that everything is draining properly and there are no leaks or holes affecting their integrity and functionality. The winter months put serious strain on plumbing systems, requiring a thorough inspection of all plumbing to check for any leaks or blow outs that might have been caused by frozen pipes during the winter.

Testing Irrigation System

When irrigation systems are disabled during the winter months, it is important to verify the condition of the systems before activating them in the spring. Items to check up on include, but are not limited to broken, clogged, or missing sprinkler heads, sunken heads that have dipped below ground, and broken pipes or fittings.

Checking the Property’s Grading

With the impending spring storms, it is important to ensure the grading of your property slopes away from the building foundations to keep excess moisture at bay. Do not wait! Inspect your property now, and fix damage quickly, before rainfall makes things worse.

In the event you do experience property damage and need to file an insurance claim, consider hiring a public adjuster. Our team of licensed public adjusters can assist you with preparing, estimating, negotiating, and settling your insurance claim for the correct and just amount.

As the Midwest’s largest and oldest public adjusting firm, Globe Midwest Adjusters International’s core focus is exclusively representing property and business owners, during the insurance claim process, to maximize and expedite our clients’ insurance claim settlement. With offices in Southfield and Grand Rapids, Michigan, Chicago, Illinois, and Appleton, Wisconsin we are experienced with the types of natural disasters that strike the Midwest, the companies that insure here, and how local claims are handled.

About the Authors

Stuart Dorf, JD, Senior Vice President of Business Development/Marketing at Globe Midwest Adjusters International, is a licensed public adjuster and a former banking, finance and real estate attorney, who represents property and business owners during the insurance claim process to ensure a fair and just settlement. | sdorf@globemwai.com | 248.915.0399