A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

A

ACTUAL CASH VALUE
A form of insurance that pays damages equal to the replacement value of damaged property minus depreciation; Abbr. ACV (Insurance Institute).

ACV
See Actual Cash Value.

ADA
See Americans With Disabilities Act.

ADDENDUM
An addition to a completed written agreement. Most commonly a change to a contract or explanation of points within a contract (Legal Dictionary).

ADDITION
A part of a structure built after the original construction was completed.

ADDITIONAL LIVING EXPENSE
Form of extra expense insurance provided by [homeowners’] [insurance] policies for temporary shelter due to damage by a covered peril that makes the home temporarily uninhabitable. (Insurance Institute). Abbr. ALE. Investigate applicability to renters' insurance. abbr. ALE Investigate aplicability to renters' insurance.

ADJUST
The act of determining the amount to be paid in the settlement of an insurance loss.

ADJUSTER
An individual who valuates insurance losses for one of the parties to the claim.

AFFIDAVIT
A written statement of personal knowledge, information, or belief voluntarily made under oath or
affirmation administered by a lawfully authorized person.

AGENT
One empowered to act for or represent another.

AGGLOMERATE
A group of individual, sub-micron-sized soot particles (which individually cannot be resolved using light microscopy techniques) that have clustered together to form a larger soot particle (subsequently greater than one micron in size and visible during an optical microscope examination).

AIR DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM
See HVAC Interior Surfaces.

AIR DUCT
A conduit for conveying air.

AIR DUCT COVERING
A material such as an adhesive, insulation, banding, coating(s), film, or a jacket used to cover the outside surface of an air duct, fan casing or duct plenum.

AIR DUCT LINING
A material such as fiberglass insulation used to line the inside surface of an air duct, fan casing, or duct plenum.

AIR FILTER
A device used to reduce or remove airborne solids from heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems.

AIR INLET
Any opening through which air is removed from a space and returned to an air distribution system or exhausted from the space.

AIR OUTLET
Any opening through which air is delivered to a space from an air distribution system.

AIR TERMINAL UNIT
An appliance receiving, conditioning, and delivering air supplied through an air distribution system.

AIRBORNE PARTICLE
Any particulate that varies in size or in composition that is in the air.

ALTERATION
The modification of a structure or one of its components.

AMERICANS WITH DISABILITY ACT
A federal civil rights law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in employment, state and local government, transportation, telecommunications, public accommodations, and commercial facilities. ADA Title II: Public Accommodations and Commercial Facilities provide mandatory architectural standards for new construction and alterations to meet access requirements. (U.S. Dept. of Justice). Abbr. ADA

APPRAISAL
An evaluation or estimate of the value of an object or other property.

APPROVED EQUAL
A substitution of materials or methods that are equivalent to or greater in type, function and value. See also Like Kind and Quality.

ARBITRATION
The process of resolving a dispute or a grievance outside of the court system by presenting it to an impartial third party or panel for a decision that may or may not be binding.

ARCHITECT
A professional, generally licensed, who designs buildings and other man-made structures. The architect may also produce design plans/drawings and specifications, as well as provide general supervision of contractors.

AS NEEDED
A reference to unknown quantities of materials, required time or necessary methods to achieve a particular result.

AS POSSIBLE
A reference to uncertainty as it relates to a specific outcome.

ASCR FOUNDATION
The Association of Specialists in Cleaning and Restoration Foundation, Inc., a nonprofit educational and research organization founded in 2001 and affiliated with the Restoration Industry Association, Inc.

ASCR INTERNATIONAL
Restoration Industry Association, Inc., formerly called ASCR International or the Association of Specialists in Cleaning and Restoration.

AUTHORIZATION
Legal empowerment to perform an action.

AVAILABLE MATCH
A reference to closest approximate substitute available for irreplaceable damaged materials.

B

BETTERMENT
An improvement that adds to the value of real property.

BIOHAZARD
A biological agent that constitutes a threat to living organisms and/or to the environment.

BLACK WATER
Grossly contaminated, unsanitary water originating from Category 1, 2 or 3 water sources. Also referred to as Category 3 water (IICRC Standard S 500).

BOCA
Building Officials and Code Administrators. See International Code Council.

BROKER
An individual or firm who acts as an intermediary between a buyer and seller, usually charging a commission.

BUILDER'S RISK INSURANCE
A specialized form of property insurance to cover buildings in the course of remodeling or construction, usually obtained for a specific site.

BUILDING CODE
A series of ordinances enacted by a state or local governmental entity, establishing minimum requirements that must be met in the construction and maintenance of buildings. (BOCA Definition)

BUILDING ENVELOPE
The exterior of a structure (building) that encompasses exterior walls, floor, windows, roof, etc. and separates the conditioned areas from non-conditioned areas and which defines the environmental space within.

BUILDING OFFICIALS AND CODE ADMINISTRATORS
See International Code Council. Abbr. BOCA.

BUILDING PERMIT
A written authorization from a statutory authority to proceed with the construction of a project, and is generally based on approved drawings and/or specifications as required by local building code and zoning requirements.

BULK SAMPLING
A sample of material found in the HVAC system.

BUSINESS INTERRUPTION INSURANCE
Commercial coverage that reimburses a business owner for lost profits and continuing fixed expenses during the time that a business must stay closed while the premises are being restored because of physical damage from a covered peril, such as a fire. It also may cover financial losses that may occur if civil authorities limit access to an area after a disaster and their actions prevent customers from reaching the business premises. Depending on the policy, civil authorities coverage may start after a waiting period and last for two or more weeks. Also called loss-of-income insurance.

C

CABO
Council of American Building Officials. See International Code Council.

CARE, CUSTODY AND CONTROL
A condition which excludes property from liability coverage in standard commercial policies. In some cases it is determined to entail physical possession of the property; in others, any party with a legal obligation to exercise care with respect to property has been deemed to have that property in its CCC.

CARPET AND UPHOLSTERY CLEANING INSTITUTE
A membership interest group within the Restoration Industry Association. Abbr. CUCI.

CATASTROPHE
A term used for statistical recording purposes to refer to a single incident or a series of closely related incidents causing severe insured property losses totaling more than a given amount, currently $25 million. (III definition, 2007)

CATASTROPHE DEDUCTIBLE
An increased deductible required of an insured that is implemented by an insurer pursuant to the policy contract in the event of a catastrophic loss.

CATASTROPHIC LOSS
Loss in excess of the working layer, usually of such magnitude as to be difficult to predict and therefore rarely self-insured or retained. (Source IRMI)

CAUSE AND ORIGIN
The precise location and mechanism by which a fire originated.

CERTIFICATE OF COMPLETION
A document used to substantiate the satisfactory completion of the scope of work or services to release the contractor from all legal liabilities of the construction process; designates the start of the warranty process.

CERTIFICATE OF SATISFACTION
A document used to substantiate the satisfactory completion of the scope of work or services.

CERTIFIED RESTORER
An advanced professional certification for property damage restorers who have been qualified by the Restoration Industry Association as meeting its standards of experience, training, and commitment to ethical practice. Abbr. CR.

CHAIN OF CUSTODY
A reference to documentation establishing physical and lawful possession of materials or property and transfer of materials and property between entities. Documentation includes date, location, names, and signatures of those transferring and those receiving material or property (free dictionary).

CHAIN OF CUSTODY FORM
The chronological documentation, and/or paper trail, showing the seizure, custody, control, transfer, analysis, and disposition of evidence, physical or electronic.

CHANGE ORDER
A contract alteration modifying initial scope of work and/or project schedule; requires written, mutual agreement between parties.

CHAR
Particulate greater than or equal to 1 micron in size made by incomplete combustion which may not deagglomerate or disperse by ordinary techniques, may contain material which is not black, and may contain some of the original material’s cell structure and inorganic materials.

CLEAN WATER
Water originating from building supply lines, tubs or sinks without contaminants, appliance supply lines, melting ice or snow, falling rainwater, and broken toilet tanks and bowls without contaminants. Clean water deteriorates in cleanliness in contact with structural materials, contents, soil, other contaminants, and as time elapses. Also referred to as Category 1 water. (IICRC)

COILS
Devices inside an HVAC system that temper and/or dehumidify the air handled by the HVAC system. These include heat exchangers, with or without extended surfaces, through which water, ethylene glycol solution, brine, volatile refrigerant, or steam is circulated for the purpose of total cooling (sensible cooling plus latent cooling) or sensible heating of a forced-circulation air stream.

COINSURANCE
Joint assumption of risk between the insurer and the insured. A penalty can be imposed on the insured by the insurance carrier for under reporting/declaring/insuring the value of tangible property or business income. The penalty is based on a percentage stated within the policy and the amount under reported. (TD)

COINSURANCE REQUIREMENT
An insurance policyholder’s obligation to insure property to a specified percentage of value as a condition of receiving full payment from insurance carrier on a loss.

COMBINATION FIRE AND SMOKE DAMPER
A device that meets both the fire damper and smoke damper requirements.

CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGE
Damage incurred as an indirect cause of the loss. See also Incidental Damages.

CONSIDERATION
The compensation or fee paid.

CONSTRUCTION GRADE
A term used to indicate lumber grades that are suitable for construction applications (adapted from WWPA). Grading is perfomed by lumber manufacturers under the American Lumber Standards Committee Voluntary Product Standard 20.

CONTAINMENT
A physical barrier constructed to isolate a contaminated area within a structure for the purpose of restoring the affected area without spreading contaminants to other parts of the building.

CONTAMINATION
The presence of sewage, wastes, chemicals or other material rendering an article, habitation or substance unfit for use, usually for reasons of toxicity and health.

CONTENTS
Personal property, also known as chattel, and distinguished from the building or structure.

CONTENTS MANIPULATION
The required handling and positioning of personal property during the course of repairs or emergency services.

CONTRACT
1. A legally binding agreement between two or more competent parties in which an offer is made and accepted, and each party benefits. 2. An agreement between two or more parties which creates obligations to do or not do the specific things that are the subject of that agreement.

CONTRACTOR
1. A party to a contract. 2. (n.) A person who executes the building or modification of man-made structures or natural terrain.

CORRUGATED METAL
Sheet plate or steel plate having a corrugated shape for strength, used as wall panels, roof decking, and floor decking.

COST PLUS
A method of billing for services performed that is based on contractor actual costs plus a percentage mark-up for overhead and profit.

COUNCIL OF AMERICAN BUILDING OFFICIALS
Merged into the International Code Council since 1997. See International Code Council. Abbr. CABO.

COVERAGE (INSURANCE)
The scope of protection provided under an insurance policy typically naming covered perils, property and locations covered, and the limits of indemnification.

CROSS CONTAMINATION
Causing contamination by means of transferring contaminants from one area to another.

CUCI
See Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Institute.

D

DAMPER
A valve or plate that stops or regulates the flow of air inside a duct, chimney, vav box, air handler or other air handling equipment.

DEBRIS
The waste material from construction or a peril; damaged building or contents components awaiting disposal.

DECONTAMINATION
The removal of toxic, allergenic or dangerous substances from a building, contents or space.

DEDUCTIBLE
A clause within an insurance policy that states a specified amount (either fixed or by percent) that is subtracted from the settlement of each covered incident.

DEHUMIDIFY
Removal of moisture from the air, object or building materials.

DEMOLITION (DEMO)
The dismantling or removal of a structure or its components.

DEPRECIATED VALUE
The value remaining after deduction for depreciation.

DEPRECIATION
The amount or percentage by which something decreases in value over time.

DESTRUCTIVE TESTING
Investigative demolition to a structure with the intent of identifying hidden pollution or other malady.

DIFFERING SITE CONDITIONS
Variation in the circumstances, configuration, or environment of a site that may require special provisions or expense.

DIRECT DAMAGE
Physical damage to real or personal property.

DIRECTION TO PAY
A formal request, authorized by a named insured to their insurance carrier, that a third party be paid directly from the proceeds of their insurance policy after a loss.

DOOR TO DOOR
See Right of Rescission and/or Rescission Notice.

DRAFT
An order directing payment of a specific amount to a named person.

DWELLING
A shelter in which people live.