Salvage

More claims & insurance terms

• S500 standard

  The IICRC's water damage restoration standard that sets the categories and classes of water loss and the standard drying approach. In a claim it is the baseline for what counts as reasonable drying. It is a restoration standard, not a policy or a payment rule.

• S520 standard

  The IICRC's mold remediation standard covering how mold work is assessed, contained, and cleaned. When a claim includes mold, adjusters and remediators point to this standard to justify the scope. Its fit on a given loss depends on the carrier.

• Scope of loss

  The written description of the damage and the work needed to repair it.

• Settlement

  The final agreed payment on a claim, reached after the carrier and the policyholder settle the disputed scope and close the file.

• Smoke damage

  Residue, odor, and surface contamination left by smoke, which usually needs cleaning, sealing, or removal of porous materials. Each of those is its own line item, so a smoke claim's scope grows with how far the residue traveled. Hidden smoke damage often surfaces after the first scope is written.

• Soot

  The fine black powder left when fuel or building materials burn without enough oxygen. It sticks to surfaces, stains them, and carries odor, so a fire claim usually needs cleaning, sealing and deodorization lines, often followed by repaint. How far the soot traveled decides how much of the building gets cleaned.

Common questions