A New Disaster Florida Homeowners Uncover a New Disaster Born Inside Their Walls

The extensive physical damage and health risks plaguing homeowners from the volatile sulfur compounds of Chinese drywall, which is now known to contain the banned waste byproduct "phosphogypsum," which the EPA states contains radioactive elements, has caused scores of devastated Floridians to abruptly flee their homes.

As if the health risks and enormous costs of remediation, relocation, legal fees, preparation of furniture, fixtures and contents for storage during demolition, and the task of rebuilding weren't daunting enough, many of these fully-furnished unoccupied homes are falling victim to burglary.

The discovery of Chinese drywall in a home is tragic enough without the anxiety of uncertain recovery from the homeowner's insurance company. What homeowners must obtain when faced with this devastating event is the assurance that visible physical damage to equipment, wiring, and personal belongings caused by the defective Chinese drywall has been professionally video-documented for claim settlement purposes, including household contents and personal possessions prior to their removal from and return to the home.

Case in point: a devastated homeowner in Palm Beach Gardens, whose home and much of its contents were damaged from Chinese drywall gases, contacted Video Property Archives to create a video documentation. Fact: numerous homes in the Palm Beach Gardens area are known to contain Chinese drywall. This new form of homeowner "disaster" is a reality many Floridians are now facing. It is the responsibility of the property owner to provide proof of ownership, property condition and current value when filing a claim. The key to recovery is in the documentation of personal assets. A professional with experience in both the insurance industry and videography can increase the chances of homeowners receiving full and complete settlements. Video Property Archives' (VPA) owner Bruce Schwartz is a ten-year veteran videographer with over thirty years in the business of personal lines underwriting and executive administrative management with insurance carriers. VPA records the visible physical damage to homes caused by the defective drywall while concurrently recording the homeowners' personal possessions prior to the removal of household contents prior to the home's interior demolition. After completion of the rebuild, VPA returns to re-document the new interior.

Attorneys, financial advisors and insurance companies highly recommend maintaining a professionally produced audio/video recording to prove property ownership, condition, and value prior to a loss. FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency), state & local governments, insurance carriers, law offices, news medias, and official hurricane preparatory documents consistently warn homeowners to document household contents for insurance purposes before disaster strikes.

Do-it-yourself home videos can delay reimbursement and may even cause financial recoveries to fall far short of the policy limits available. The burden of proof lies with the insured. Video recordings must include proprietary components that will assure an accurate, complete, and claims-compliant video enabling the homeowner to recall and document the condition and value of all their recorded personal property for insurance claim purposes. A recording by a documentation specialist will accomplish this. The more precise and inclusive claim records are when a carrier is contacted regarding loss or damage, the quicker and cleaner the recovery will be. As the insurance commissioner for the state of Maryland stated in 2008, "Documentation and communication are the two keys to a smooth recovery from your insurance company, along with a little patience."

The world's leading property and casualty insurance company and brokerage firm prefer property documentation by VPA for recording the personal assets of their "Private Client Groups." Servicing Florida since 1999, VPA strictly adheres to industry standard guidelines for independent and unbiased recordings of clients' possessions to assess value and help facilitate recovery from insurance carriers. As an insurance industry professional and experienced videographer, Schwartz is uniquely qualified to provide policyholders with the tool they need to document their home and its contents. With this tool, homeowners are able to provide insurance companies the detailed information needed to process claims.