Business interruption claims
the loss you can't photograph.
When damage shuts your business down, the income you didn't earn is a covered loss — but it's proven with financials, not photos. BI claims are won on documentation: what you would have earned, what expenses continued, and how long restoration honestly takes. This is where carrier-side experience matters most.
The full scope of a business interruption claim
Coverage varies by policy — this is what we look for, document, and pursue when it applies. The claim you file should be as complete as the loss you suffered.
- 01Lost net income — What the business would have earned during the shutdown — projected from your real financial history and defended line by line.
- 02Continuing expenses — Rent, payroll you keep paying, utilities, insurance — normal operating expenses that continue while revenue doesn't.
- 03Extra expense — The cost of working around the damage — temporary space, expedited shipping, equipment rental — to keep the business alive. Often its own coverage.
- 04The period of restoration — BI pays for the time it should reasonably take to repair and resume — the single most disputed number in these claims. It has to reflect NYC reality, not a form estimate.
- 05Civil authority — When a government order — not damage to your own property — blocks access to your business, civil-authority coverage may respond for a defined period.
- 06Contingent business interruption — When a key supplier's or anchor neighbor's damage shuts you down, some policies extend coverage. Worth checking — most owners don't know they have it.
We worked the carrier side. We know where the money goes missing.
Our adjuster spent years handling property claims from inside the carrier's process. On business interruption losses, these are the patterns we watch for.
Carriers favor optimistic timelines: shorter period, smaller claim. Permits, NYC construction reality, and equipment lead times say otherwise — and belong in the calculation.
Income projections get challenged unless the financial documentation is airtight. P&L, tax returns, and sales records, organized properly, end the argument before it starts.
Money spent keeping the business running is recoverable under many policies — but only if every workaround cost is tracked and claimed deliberately.
The first days decide the claim
No countdown clocks, no pressure — just how claims actually work. Early documentation is the difference between what happened and what gets paid.
Most policies require prompt notice of a loss. Delay alone can complicate coverage — the clock starts at the damage, not when you get around to it.
Water migrates, mold can begin within 24–48 hours, smoke residue etches surfaces — and repairs made before documentation erase the proof.
Reserves and first impressions get set in the first days. What's missing from the early record rarely gets paid later.
Don't discard damaged property, don't sign off on scope, and don't accept a first offer before an independent review.
From damage to settlement, in four steps
You stay focused on your home or business. We run the claim.
Free inspection & policy review
We come to you, assess the damage, and read your policy line by line to find every coverage that applies.
We document the loss
Full photo evidence, inventory, and a detailed estimate the insurance company can't brush aside.
We fight the carrier
We file, push back on lowball offers, and negotiate directly with your insurer from start to finish.
You get paid
The settlement goes to you. We coordinate our vendors to put your property back together.
Independent facts — not our claims
Here's what government studies and regulators say about property claims and representation.
Typical claim payments were $9,379 with a public adjuster vs. $1,391 without in non-catastrophe property claims, in a state review comparing represented and unrepresented policyholders.
OPPAGA Report 10-06 (2010). Gross settlements before adjuster fees; Florida data.
After Superstorm Sandy, a federal claims review paid over $258 million in additional money to more than 15,000 flood-insurance policyholders — most in New York and New Jersey — after litigation in New York federal court revealed damage reports had been altered to reduce payments.
FEMA Sandy Claims Review, 2015–2018; U.S. Senate oversight records.
Public adjusters are licensed and regulated by the NY Department of Financial Services, and you can cancel a compensation agreement without penalty until midnight of the third business day after signing. Verify any public adjuster's license on the DFS portal — including ours.
NY Department of Financial Services.
Business Interruption claim questions
Do I need physical damage to claim business interruption?
What documents does a BI claim need?
We're partially open. Is there still a claim?
How long do BI payments run?
The city closed our block after a nearby fire. Are we covered?
Can you work with my accountant?
Had a loss? Let's talk today.
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