Commercial Property Meld Software

5/5/2022 (Permalink)

Property management companies are automating their property maintenance process thru what is called "Property Meld". Property Meld is an easy to use property maintenance software solution powered by automation to reduce manual tasks and increase efficiency. SERVPRO of High Point recently partnered with a Company who utilizes Property Meld and it has proven to be a great way to do business.

There is never enough time in a day. Time is wasted keeping everyone accountable. Between missed calls, forgotten emails, and lost sticky notes, a 2 day request turns into a stale 2 week embarrassment. The mutual maintenance process is costing the property management companies. With the lack of oversight and control, repairs are overlooked. As a result, residents leave and the owners of the properties turn to competitors.

Property Meld allows you to do more with less. The web based software automates the process to create a positive maintenance experience. With Property Meld, you can reduce time wasted on manual tasks by 80%, allowing the property management company and the vendors to reinvest their time back into expanding their company portfolio and increasing productivity.

Our partnership with this property management company who utilizes Property Meld, has saved both of us time and money. It simplifies communication. It increases staff capacity. And it gives you powerful oversight.

Places of Worship Within Commercial Spaces

2/4/2022 (Permalink)

Today, we are seeing many churches creating their worship facilities within commercial buildings. Large commercial structures have ample square footage and open space that can easily be reconfigured. Commercial properties also tend to have sufficient parking and landscape, as well as an at-grade pathway to a gracious entrance. With an abundance of vacant office buildings across the country and a growing need for cost effective solutions for houses of worship, repurposing office space for churches makes a great deal of sense. And with a creative selection of materials and design features, there is great potential in helping religious organizations to achieve their desired image and character in a setting. 

High Point has several office buildings that were renovated to become places of worship. SERVPRO of High Point does business with several of these former office spaces turned into fellowship halls. There is often mold issues in these structures, especially if they've been vacant for a while. We enjoy helping staff and clergy accomplish their vision by helping them make their new environment safe and clean.

Commercial Restoration/Reconstruction

1/11/2022 (Permalink)

We take pride in being a one stop shop for commercial restoration services, which means if you need help with both mold and water damage, and other emergency services, we can help you with all of the above.

You can count on SERVPRO of High Point to get the job done efficiently and effectively. Our team is experienced, resourceful, dependable, and will provide you with excellent high quality work and customer service for your commercial property. 

We know how to respond fast, manage the problem, limit and prevent future damage, work with insurance companies, restore properties, and get your business/building up and running fast.

Our team has the skills, training, and proper equipment needed to restore your business back to its original state with little to no disruption of your daily operations. SERVPRO of High Point is second to none in the commercial restoration industry.

The SERVPRO Network

12/16/2021 (Permalink)

It's all about teamwork. Customer satisfaction is our highest priority and the way we keep happy customers is to share the resources we have amongst each other. With 1,700 franchise locations nationwide, it is nearly impossible to have to turn away a job because a particular franchise is low on equipment, personnel, etc.  Another SERVPRO location is minutes away, and always willing to help.  

This is often the case with National Accounts as these commercial customers understand that there is a SERVPRO location at every one of their respective locations that can help service the account. 

SERVPRO of High Point was recently tasked with helping a vape shop in the area that is a customer of another franchise in Florida. They had an employee test positive for COVID, and needed us to perform the Certified: SERVPRO Cleaned cleaning protocol at their store. Team work really helped solidify their relationship with this customer.

Importance of Communication

12/16/2021 (Permalink)

When you have a commercial customer who has their Corporate office in another state, it may cause some problems when identifying who makes final decisions.

SERVPRO of High Point recently had a challenging situation with a local dental office that had experienced a water loss. There were two people who were key to this job, the project manager at their Corporate location, and the General Manager of the dental office. Oftentimes in these situations, the communication taken between the account's employees and what gets back to us from one or the other of them is convoluted. 

In these situations, documentation and pictures are critical to moving the process forward. At the end of the day, we were able to successfully complete the scope of work approved by the project manager. In turn, the General Manager's vision for the work to be completed at her office was in sync with the approved scope of work. 

Protect Your Water Pipes

12/15/2021 (Permalink)

If temperatures are expected to drop to 28 degrees or below for 4 hours or more, you should take precautions to protect your water pipes. Not only will a frozen pipe cut off your running water supply, but because water expands when it freezes it can cause metal or plastic pipes to burst. This is one of the greatest and costliest damages from a winter storm.

Pipes that run in unheated interior areas (such as those in basements, crawlspaces, kitchen cabinets, garages and attics) or against exterior walls are particularly susceptible to freezing.

To help prevent frozen pipes, let cold water drip from faucets served by exposed pipes because running water - even when just a trickle - is less likely to freeze. Open kitchen and bathroom cabinet doors to allow warm air to circulate near plumbing. Add pipe insulation to any pipes that are particularly prone to freezing. Do your best to keep temperatures inside your home or business no lower than 55 degrees.

Commercial Dryer Vent Cleaning

5/6/2021 (Permalink)

Does your business have a clothes dryer? If so, you have a hidden hazard! Dryers, especially those that are used frequently for commercial use, can collect excess lint and debris in the vent line. This excess lint is the most common source of ignition for dryer fires, which account for 15,500 fires every year. In addition to the risk of fire, excess lint and debris can lead to clogs and decreased efficiency, as well as additional energy use. SERVPRO of High Point provides professional commercial dryer vent cleaning services to a wide variety of businesses with clothes dryers. 

Our commercial dryer vent cleaning services offer business owners many benefits. First and foremost, by having your dryer vents cleaned by our experienced technicians, you can be sure that the risk of dryer fire in your building is minimized. In addition to removing the fire hazard, our services will ultimately save your business time and money by increasing your dryer's efficiency.

Leading appliance manufacturers recommend having your dryer vent inspected and cleaned by a professional once a year.

Certified: SERVPRO Cleaned

2/12/2021 (Permalink)

Over the past year, SERVPRO of High Point has been very involved in helping our commercial customers maintain a high level of cleanliness in their businesses. We have sanitized and disinfected churches, offices, warehouses, restaurants, salons, gyms, as well as, a host of other miscellaneous properties. Some of these commercial properties have requested a proactive cleaning, while others have experienced a confirmed COVID case that requires additional care and PPE. 

In accordance with the CDC, SERVPRO recommends the daily cleaning of :high touch" surfaces such as keyboards, phones and tablets, tables, and counters, door knobs, light switches, toilets, and bathroom fixtures.

Our technicians are trained to perform a proactive and confirmed case cleaning that involves facility or structure cleaning and disinfection.  This includes porous surfaces as well that can be sanitized utilizing a fogger that mists disinfectant throughout the area to be cleaned. 

Importance of Professional Carpet Cleaning

1/21/2021 (Permalink)

Many people have carpeting throughout their home. Ideally, carpets should be deep cleaned every six months to keep them looking brand new. It also helps to get the grime, dirt, and debris out of the carpets which can help reduce allergies, smells, and stains. No matter how you look at it, the professionals have better and more powerful equipment when it comes to cleaning carpets. The type of steam and deep cleaners that you can rent or buy at a local store are generally not as strong as what the professionals use. After all, they typically spend hundreds to thousands of dollars on the equipment that they have. When some people take carpet cleaning into their own hands, and they don't necessarily know what they are supposed to be doing, it leaves some real potential to cause some damage to the carpets and flooring under them. If you were to accidentally make your carpets too wet, not only can it soak your carpets and make dry time almost impossible, but it can seep through to the padding and floor underneath. It is always best to hire a professional carpet cleaner like SERVPRO of High Point to ensure that your carpet cleaning is done properly.

Navigating Commercial Building Losses

12/21/2020 (Permalink)

Claims involving commercial structures can present a number of challenges to the claim professional. Multiple stakeholders, unique building construction, and the financial impact of business interruption are among several issues that may add complexity to commercial building claims.  Recognizing and understanding those specific issues and taking a systematic approach to loss adjusting for commercial buildings helps cut through potential issues and may ultimately control indemnity and claim expenses for insured parties. When examining commercial losses, adjusters must take into account major considerations. There are multiple stakeholders. Multiple property owners and tenants; primary leases and subleases; mortgages; and liens all impact the investigation of a building loss and are therefore essential considerations in the adjusting process. There is also major consideration to construction uniqueness. Commercial building structures are classified by commercial underwriters into occupancy categories. These occupational categories include habitational, office, institutional, mercantile, service and manufacturing. Each type of occupancy is comprised of unique construction principles and methods. In addition, buildings within each category can greatly vary in terms of size, HVAC, alarm and fire systems, interior finishes, trade fixtures, and tenant improvements.

Adjusting A Commercial Loss

12/21/2020 (Permalink)

Adjusters must be aware of business interruption. Because of the nature of occupancy and exposures, commercial policies may have coverage for business interruption, including business income and extra expenses. Delays in evaluation and assessment of damage to the commercial structure by the adjuster can directly impact the time element of these claims and increase indemnity costs. One of the first essential steps in adjusting any loss is confirmation of policy information. Securing a valid copy of the declaration pages and entire policy form and endorsements will establish the ensured entity and other interested concerns, policy limits, valuation approach, insurance to value requirements, and endorsements that either extend or limit coverage. The adjuster must confirm the extent of insurable interests in the commercial property. The adjuster must identify the type of property ownership and its use to ensure proper evaluation of coverage and assessment of damage covered under a commercial policy. A party who sustains a financial or monetary loss when the commercial structure is damaged or destroyed may be considered to have an insurable interest. An insurable interest in a property is required before asserting a claim. The adjuster must identify the insurable interest under the policy and access claim payments to the extent of the insurable interest.

Assessing And Evaluating A Commercial Loss

12/21/2020 (Permalink)

A systematic approach to accessing commercial building damage will help efficiently determine the claim settlement for the insured. Relevant floor plans or blueprints must be secured of the building areas that sustained damage. The customer may have copies of the tenant build-out, fire escape plan, or a recent sales brochure that will document the commercial building space that sustained damage. And of course, if they have an ERP, an Emergency Ready Profile from their professional SERVPRO representative, this will help during this process as well! The wall, floor, and ceiling construction must be properly documented in each damaged area of the building. Trade fixtures or improvements within the damaged areas of the building must also be identified. Items that are unique to the commercial structure must be identified such as alarm systems, fire suppression systems, and commercial kitchen and mechanical equipment. A cost estimate for the damages, including a proper accounting of all measurements, quantities, labor hours, and material allowances must also be completed. Timely completion of the estimate is always important!

Benefect Decon 30

5/8/2020 (Permalink)

Decon 30 utilizes Benefect's proprietary essential oil Active Ingredient instead of using traditional synthetic chemicals.  Additionally, Decon 30 is formulated with a unique Optimized Dynamic Chemistry (ODC) surfactant system that boosts cleaning performance while still achieving hospital level disinfection.  The ODC system also enhances mold killing and mildew prevention.  The very pleasant light fragrance dissipates quickly leaving no harsh fumes or harmful residue.  Decon 30 cleans and sanitizes in just 30 seconds, making it ideal for fast decontamination of equipment, PPE and even vertical surfaces like wood studs or concrete walls.  This product is ideal for disinfecting, cleaning, deodorizing, decontaminating, preventing cross-contamination in residential and commercial buildings, food service, hospitals, medical clinics, schools and government buildings.  It is a Ready To Use product with no health warnings that can be used for porous and non-porous surfaces. 

Partnering with Contractors

1/29/2020 (Permalink)

We recently completed a commercial water loss where we found ourselves partnering with the Company who had built the building where the loss occurred.  Because we weren't familiar with this contractor, we weren't sure initially if they were going to use us for the dry out, or were going to bring in their own restoration company.  But because of the relationship we had built with this account over the years, they were very influential in recommending us to this contractor as the only mitigation company that could get the job done.  The dry out took several days with a host of equipment from air movers to dehumidifiers, occupying two floors in the building.  As the days went by, we ended up securing a very positive relationship with this contractor and proved ourselves as the professionals in the mitigation process.  They were very impressed with our work ethic and have agreed to partner with us on future projects. Another great commercial job completed by SERVPRO of High Point!

Mold in a Commercial Building

12/30/2019 (Permalink)

We recently had the opportunity to scope a pharmacy/drug store that has been closed down due to roof damage that caused wide spread mold growth.  From the carpeting to the walls, this facility had obvious visible signs of mold growth throughout the structure.  This was due to the prolonged exposure to excessive moisture from water leaking through the damaged roof.  This moisture caused many environmental microbes, odor-causing bacteria and fungi, to colonize and grow, amplifying on building materials.  These microbes will eventually contaminate the indoor air and may create health risks for those who work there. When scoping this environment , our technicians were sure to use the proper PPE for these conditions. Mold spores are microscopic and have no odor.  Bacterial action on the wastes excreted by mold gives off an odor.  It is also the waste that becomes visible after several hours of ideal growth conditions.  This environment was exhibiting the "ideal growth conditions" necessary for immediate remediation. 

Odor in a Commercial Structure

12/30/2019 (Permalink)

We recently had a situation regarding unexplained odors in a continuing care retirement community. Intense odors from pre-existing urine contamination is common in water damage restoration.  Because odor molecules are transported to the olfactory region by attaching themselves to moisture molecules in the air, it stands to reason the more moisture present, the stronger the odor.  Odor can be eliminated only if the source is identified and removed.  This means treating the cause of the odor itself.  Thus, urine decontamination was necessary to safely restore the facility. For the general health and comfort of the technicians and inhabitants of this facility, it was necessary to temporarily control the odor until elimination procedures can be affected.  This can be done by procedures known as masking, pairing, or modifying. In the meantime, for the peace of mind of the residents and staff, we used a combination of deodorants to help dissipate the odor while other more extensive measures were taken to eradicate the odor.

The Understanding of Biocides

12/26/2019 (Permalink)

In addition to having knowledge of the microbiological agents present in a water-damaged environment, restoration specialists must have an understanding of the proper use of the chemical agents that control the amplification of these microorganisms and their by-products.  A biocide is any poison that kills both pathogenic and nonpathogenic living organisms. The term is used commonly within the water damage industry to describe any agent that kills microorganisms or controls their amplification, including bacteria, molds, slimes, or fungi. Biocidal chemicals used in the cleaning and/or restoration industry usually contain alcohol, sodium hypochlorite, hydrogen peroxide, iodine, quaternary ammonium chloride or a synthesized phenolic compound.  Quaternary ammonium chlorides have often been used to kill bacteria.  Chlorines are strong oxidizing agents and can cause color loss in carpets and fabrics, will dissolve wool and other protein fabrics, and corrode metal.  Phenolics are a potential health hazard because of their ability to build up in the respiratory system and should never be fogged. A primary benefit of using biocides is that they extend the time before microorganisms begin to grow.  They are also part of the decontamination process when pathogenic organisms are present. Biocides are useful in preventing microorganisms from growing on surfaces within water-damaged structures.  Biocides are useful in returning property to a preloss state.

Emergency Ready Profile

1/29/2019 (Permalink)

With each new year, many people resolve to better themselves or some part of their life.  This year, make a resolution to be READY.  No one ever plans on a disaster, but you can prepare for it.  The SERVPRO Emergency Ready Profile, or ERP, will help ensure you are "Ready for whatever happens" in 2019.  in the event of an emergency, the ERP can help minimize business interruption by having an immediate plan of action in place for your facility.  The ERP is a comprehensive document containing critical information about your business, including emergency contacts, shut-off valve locations and priority areas.  The ERP is a no-cost assessment; all it requires is a little time, making it a great value that could save you time and money in the future. By downloading the free SERVPRO Ready App, this information is stored electronically and can be accessed using your mobile device putting help at your fingertips!  Preparation is the key to making it through any size disaster, whether it is a small water leak, a large fire, or an area flood.  Having a plan in place may help minimize the amount of time your business is inactive and get you back in the building following a disaster.  Don't wait until a disaster strikes, resolve to be READY!

Commercial Cleaning

12/28/2018 (Permalink)

A commercial cleaning service is more for those things that you will encounter in a business. Commercial waste clean up, or heavy cleaning are all things that define commercial cleaning.  That is why some think that if you hire them for your home, they are going to clean better.  The truth is that a commercial cleaning company cleans not better than a residential cleaning company, they only clean different things.  When it comes to cleaning, the word commercial does not mean more industrial type cleaning, it literally means industrial cleaning and all it entails.  Cleaning machinery, blank spaces, chemicals and other individual solvents, commercial cleaning services deal with a different type of condition and clientele.  A residential cleaning service specializes in things around your home such as cleaning floors, bedrooms, and bathrooms.  A commercial cleaning service cleans things such as offices, buildings, or retail stores.  Commercial cleaning companies also focus on special event cleaning such as a fire or flood clean up.  They have the industrial equipment needed to clean things that have succumb to severe water, or other types of damage.  They are also the company that you call for construction clean ups, or after building renovations are done.

Property Management

12/28/2018 (Permalink)

Property managers have a variety of responsibilities. They may be consulted on setting the rent, as they are familiar with comparable properties in the area. They of course, collect the rent, ensuring an optimal cash flow by setting a date to collect rent each month and strictly enforcing late fees. Property managers are also responsible for filling vacancies.  They know where to advertise the rental and what to include in their ads.  They also understand what attracts tenants, so they can offer tips to help makeover the property.  They have a consistent screening process that includes running credit and background checks, which decreases their chances of being accused of discrimination.  They handle leases and determine the amount of a security deposit. They handle complaints, emergencies, move outs, and evictions. Property managers are responsible for managing the budget and maintaining records. They can even be expected to assist the property owner in filing taxes for the property.

Apartment Management

12/27/2018 (Permalink)

Usually apartment buildings with more than 20 units are managed by professional property management companies and those buildings with fewer than 20 units are usually managed by the owner and a live in property manager. Regardless of who is managing the apartment building it is important to follow some general principles and tips to make sure that operations run smoothly.  The management of an apartment building should be efficiently run like any other business.  The manager should look to improve the client-tenant living experience while minimizing costs and increasing profit opportunities whenever possible.They need to remember to follow the Fair Housing Rules, as well as, who is responsible for the repair and maintenance of the units. Many apartment complexes partner with SERVPRO of High Point in getting an Emergency Ready Profile completed.  This helps cover the safety guidelines that they have to follow.

Commercial Carpet Cleaning

12/27/2018 (Permalink)

Commercial carpeting can be very challenging to clean utilizing the hot water extraction method.  The main problem is that there is no airflow under the carpet; commercial carpet is glued directly to the floor. In your home, this method usually takes about 4 to 8 hours to dry.  Because there is no pad between the carpet and floor to allow airflow in a commercial building, it can take several hours longer to dry.  Slow drying times usually cause a problem known as wicking.  Have you ever had your carpets cleaned and they look great when the job is done, but in the next day or two all your spots and stains come back?  That is wicking.  When carpet dries too slowly it pulls stains from the backing of the carpet to the tips of the fiber. When cleaning commercial carpeting, wicking is a big challenge.