Claims

Report your claim anytime to Golden Era Insurance online or by calling 1 (510) 270-8141. The sooner you report, the sooner we can help. When making any necessary temporary repairs, be sure to always save your receipts. Your Golden Era claim professional may ask you to provide them for reimbursement purposes.

Be sure to separate your damaged property (such as inventory or stock) from your undamaged property.

If your business has sustained extensive damage, do not go back inside until cleared to do so by emergency personnel or town officials, even if the damage is confined to one room.

In cases where your business and personal property have been destroyed, please do not risk injury by walking through the debris.

Your Golden Era claim professional will contact you shortly to walk you through the claim process, evaluate your coverage, and assess the damage to your business or business property. We want to resolve your claim as quickly as possible. If you have questions or concerns at any point during the claim process, contact your Golden Era claim professional directly.

You should discuss your operations and any contingency plans with your Golden Era claim professional as soon as possible. Your claim professional may be able to provide guidance and assistance to help you get your operation back up and running as soon as possible.

Generally, if you are a tenant, your lease/rental agreement governs who is responsible for the cost to repair the damage to the building and for any betterments or improvements made to your rental space. Your Golden Era claim professional will review your lease/rental agreement and discuss it with you.

Depending on the type of damage, your Golden Era claim professional may need to schedule a time to inspect your building to determine what needs to be repaired or replaced.

If your personal property, also known as contents, has been damaged or destroyed, your Golden Era claim professional will work with you to complete an inventory of the property.

Your contents inventory will be used to develop an estimate for the Actual Cash Value (ACV) and Replacement Cost Value (RCV) of your damaged property.

RCV is the estimated cost of repairing a damaged item or replacing a damaged item with a similar one. ACV is the estimated value of the item or damage at the time of the loss. Generally, ACV is calculated as RCV minus depreciation.

Your estimate will also include other information such as tax and the amount of depreciation, if any. Refer to our guide to understanding your property estimate to help you navigate the estimate's sections. Still have questions? Contact your Golden Era claim professional.

If repairs are necessary, you may choose to make the repairs yourself. If you choose to hire a contractor, you are free to hire the contractor of your choice. We encourage you to check references before hiring anyone. Be sure your contractor is insured and bonded. It is possible that once a contractor begins working, he or she may discover a need for repairs beyond those originally addressed. If this occurs, please have your contractor contact your claim professional before conducting further repairs. We will work with your contractor so that repairs can continue with little to no interruption.

If your policy has additional named insureds or loss payees, they will be listed on your check. If you have a mortgage (or other similar lien) on your property, the mortgage company (or lienholder) has a financial interest in your property. Your insurance policy requires us to protect their interest by including them on any payments made to you for damage to your buildings or other structures. Your mortgage company may require you to provide documentation confirming that repairs have been made before endorsing these payments to you, or it may wish to hold the payments in escrow until repairs have been completed. Each mortgage company has its own requirements, and it may take time for you to complete these requirements. To minimize any potential delays, you should contact your mortgage company as soon as possible regarding their requirements.