I received a frantic call last Friday from a longtime client that the insurance inspector was coming. No, he did not tell me one if by land and two if by the sea like in Longfellow’s poem but he was concerned, to say the least.

The Insured owns about 100 apartment units in 5 buildings in Greater Cleveland and his mindset was that this was not normal and that there were nefarious reasons for the inspection. When I called the client back, the questions came in rapid-fire:

Is the insurance company going to cancel me?

Do we need to get into the units? What is the inspector going to looks at?

Why me after 8 years with this company?

The reasons for a loss control inspection are many and vary. The results can help both the insurance company and the insured.  When the account was first written with the insurance company 8 years ago, an inspection was conducted, but a lot can change in 8 years.  8 years ago, who wrote cyber-liability for an apartment owner?  The inspector reviewed the insured’s online practice of obtaining background checks and credit reports and how they were stored; a win-win in the process.

During the inspection, it is an excellent time to share the things you have been doing to make your apartment complexes safer and less apt to have a claim.  Discuss what items have been updated: roofs, boilers and furnaces, water supply lines. This will show your commitment to loss control and can reduce your premiums.

Prior to the inspection, take a walk around the properties with a critical eye.  While this should be done regularly, it may force you to be more critical than ever.  Make sure all exit signs are properly working, fire extinguishers are up to date, and all smoke and co-detectors are properly working.

Finally, ask the inspector for anything he or she is seeing that may help you in running your operation.  The inspector is out in the field 5 days a week and may be hearing things that you are not.  Look at this as a way to win lower premiums and higher rents by having a better apartment complex and then work with your Trusted Choice Independent Insurance agency to implement these ideas!