Step by Step Guide on how to hire the right company to remediate the damage from Skunks, Racoons and Bats

Make sure to bring your home back to safe conditions through your home owners insurance policy.

Dear Potential Client,

Thank you for downloading our “Bat/Racoon/Skunk Strategies” Insurance Guide. This guide has helped many people get the assistance they need from their insurance companies to preserve their property. This is why we as home owners purchase insurance is it not? We invest every month in insurance to protect ourselves from unexpected damage and loss. We look forward to assisting you in recovering the losses you may be facing from a bat or racoon infestation.

STEP ONE

Involve the Insurance Company Immediately, and Enlist Our Help: At least 85% of home owner’s insurance policies actually cover damages from bats, skunks or racoons. Note we said “damages from bats, skunk or racoons”. In this scenario, you immediately enlist our help to negotiate with your insurance company to provide a complete solution to your bat/racoon/skunk damages. PDQ has a great track record at getting results above expectations.

Benefits to you for having PDQ work directly with your insurance company are:

• Less personal involvement and work for you. After you follow the instructions on the next page, we will take over negotiations and communication with your insurance company.
• Your financial commitment will be limited to your deductible on the policy.
• You will get a more thorough clean up than perhaps you could otherwise afford. The insurance company is interested in preserving property value long term. They will be looking to restore your home to the condition it was in before the bat, skunk or racoon moved in. This will include replacing any insulation, drywall, soffits or other materials contaminated with urine or guano.
• Sometimes your insurance company will cover temporary relocation expenses for you and your family while the work is being done.
• In summary, you get much more work done on your home – and only pay the deductible on your insurance policy.

Disadvantages to this approach:

• The cost to remediate the damage correctly and bring your home back to a healthy condition is typically much more then homeowners would want to pay. Therefore corners are cut and end results are usually less then acceptable.

How to Proceed with putting in an insurance claim: Read “Talking to your Insurance Company – Quick Reference” (page three of this document) and then contact your insurance agent.

To start this process we need:

1. Your insurance company’s verbal agreement that you have coverage for “damage from bats, skunks or racoons”.
2. Your insurance company policy number.
3. If they’ve opened a claim based on your conversation with them, then we need the claim number.

Contact information for your agent or adjuster. Name, phone number and email address.

Talking to your Insurance Company – Quick Reference

Insurance agents and adjusters don’t get very many calls regarding bat, skunk or racoons. Since this is a new situation for them, there may be some initial hesitancy regarding coverage. Reading the tips on this page (and possibly having it handy for the call) will make your call much more effective and may make the difference in whether or not you get coverage.

NOTE: Unless you want to get lawyers involved, your Insurance Adjuster is the decision maker. Your call to him or her is essentially a sales call. We recommend you be informed and courteous.

Do Not Say:

• “We’ve had bats, skunks or racoons for some time...” – If you inform the insurance company that you have known about the problem for a while and didn’t take steps to resolve it, the agency can invoke a clause that states you didn’t take steps to protect your property in a reasonable and timely fashion. Provided you called to fixed the problem in a timely manner. Never lie.
• “I know I have coverage...”, “You are wrong...” etc. – No one likes to be told how to do their job. Offending the person you hope will make a favorable decision in your behalf is a poor strategy.

Common Objections from the Adjuster or Agent:

• “We don’t cover Bat, Skunks or Racoons” – Ask “Are Bats, skunks or racoons specifically named on the exclusion list? Can I see a copy of the exclusion list?”
• “We don’t cover Vermin, Rodents or Pests” – Respond “Bats, skunks or racoons are actually not classified as vermin, rodents or pests. In fact, unlike those problems, bats, skunks or racoons are protected by law and cannot legally be exterminated.”
• “We don’t cover Bat, Skunk or Racoon Removal” – Respond “Okay – do you cover damage or clean up after the bats, skunks or racoons have been removed?” (Your insurance company will most likely consider guano and urine in your walls, ceiling, attic and/or insulation as “damage”. This is good enough to start a claim.

If all the above does not work – you may be facing one or more of the following situations.

• You may have a very limited or poor-service insurance policy. Since mortgage companies require home owner’s insurance, and some people are extremely price and bargain oriented, there has been a niche of “insurance providers” that offer a policy to satisfy the mortgage company – and yet is extremely inexpensive because in reality they provide very little coverage. “Stated Coverage Policies” are one example of these types of poor quality insurance policies. If you have been sold one of these cheap policies there is little we can do to assist.
• Your insurance adjuster or agent is uneducated or arrogant and simply decides to stand in your way of coverage. In this situation you have three choices. One – graciously, tactfully and patiently educate/sell your adjuster. Two – politely ask to be assigned a new adjuster or a supervisor. Three – hire a lawyer to get involved and potentially sue for damages.
• Your insurance company is one of the very small percentage of companies that has decided to specifically exclude any coverage for bat, skunk or racoon mitigation in your policy. In this situation, your insurance company should be able to provide you with the exclusion list that very specifically says “bat, skunk or racoon”. Vermin, rodents, and pests do not apply in this situation.

Introduction

If you have been coping with a bat or racoon infestation you already know that having a colony of bats or racoons living in your home is stressful, frightening and not a simple problem to remedy. The only way to permanently rid yourself of a bat/racoon infestation is to hire a professional who handles ‘Bat/Racoon Exclusion’ and knows the ins and outs of bat/racoon behavior and how to safely remove them from your home and keep them out. As you may already know professional bat/racoon exclusion can be expensive work to have done and the concern about how you will pay for this important and necessary project may be weighing on you. This book will show you useful strategies for convincing your insurance company to cover bat exclusion costs and help you to get the work that you need done under your insurance policy. The purpose of this book is to get you up to date and informed on the realities of having a bat infestation. When the time comes for you to address your insurance company it is important to remember that you cannot be convincing unless you yourself are convinced about the seriousness of the situation. I encourage you to read all the information I have provided as it is all useful in building a strong case to present to your insurance agent. I will offer some practical guidelines on how to present your information to your insurance agent so that you are more likely to receive a positive response. You will also learn about some common misconceptions about bats, skunks or racoons. This information will benefit you in your efforts to convince your insurance agent that bat/racoon/skunk exclusion does fall under the coverage of your policy. Once you have all this information you will be fully prepared to use the step by step guide at the end of the book to bring your claim to your insurance company backed by convincing facts and insight. The best chance of getting your insurance to pay for your bat exclusion costs is right here. Armed with knowledge you will be ready to make a strong case to your agent and can save yourself thousands of dollars.

Protect Your Rights

When a racoon or bat colony decides to take up living in your home it is can be devastating to your house and its resale value. There are health risks involved in coexisting with bats or racoons, and of course the stress and fear that may ensue are not to be taken lightly either. Become fully aware that your private property is protected by the law. As an insured homeowner you are entitled to a degree of protection from personal harm and property loss. Appeal for your rights and claim the protection that is legally yours.

Please Note: This guide is in no way intended to suggest or promote insurance fraud. This guide was designed to provide moral and legal options for victims of bat/racoon/skunk infestations.

Signs of a Bat/Racoon Infestation

Be sure to tell your insurance company immediately if signs of a bat or racoon infestation have been noticed. Hesitating to speak with them can result in a denial of coverage. Consider these four signs that your home may be host to a bat infestation:

Bat/Racoon Noises

Bat and racoons make noises similar to mice and rats; you may hear scratching noises as they crawl in the walls and ceiling of your home. They also make squeaking noises when they are startled or active, particularly in the morning. Listen for these types of sounds in your attic, walls, or ceiling.

The Smell of Guano

Bat/racoon excrement called guano has a very unique scent. The smell is very musky and can have obvious hints of ammonia. The smell will be less noticeable during the winter as the bat or racoon migrate or hibernate during the cold months. Odors will become stronger when it gets warmer and the humidity rises.

Stains from Guano

Bat guano will look similar to mouse droppings but will crush very easily where other small animal dropping will stay firm. Racoon droppings look like those from a small dog but usually will have partially digested matter in them. The guano will also leave stains on your carpet or walls with a gray or brown color and be very difficult to remove as they have an oily base to them.

Bat/Racoon Sightings

Obviously if you see bats or racoons in or around your home the chances of having a colony or family of racoons on your property is very likely. Bats or racoons rarely are alone, if you have seen one there are almost certainly more. If the bat or racoon seem to leave for the cold part of the year and return each spring, you have become the innkeeper to a sort of seasonal hotel for the bats or racoons.