Should IICRC S500 Be In Your Water Damage Contracts?

It is possible, as an entrepreneur, a business owner, a manager, or an aspiring professional to do the wrong thing for the right reasons. Your intentions do not nullify the potential consequences of your decisions. Therefore, as a means of helping you shorten your DANG learning curve, we have solicited the aid of our good friend Ed Cross, The Restoration Lawyer, to clarify the role of industry standards in your service contracts. 

Imagine I am a well-intentioned water damage restoration contractor. I think it would be a good idea to cite the Institute of Inspection Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC) S500 Standard for Professional Water Damage Restoration in my proposals and contracts. With his many years of litigation experience, how would Uncle Ed advise me to navigate this concept? ​

Restoration Contractor (RC): Hey Ed, I just want people to know that I'm serious about what I do. So I've been talking to them a lot about how we train and follow the IICRC standards.

Ed Cross (Uncle Ed): Comply with the standard of care. 

RC: That's why I thought thanks for confirming that. I'm thinking about putting it in our proposals and in our contracts.

Uncle Ed: Don't put that in your contract!

RC: But I want people to know that we're serious and that we do it right.

Uncle Ed: Comply with the standard of care, but do not write into your contract, that you're going to perform the work according to IICRC standards. 

RC: Are you sure? 

Uncle Ed: it's not going to help you sell any jobs. It's going to marry you to these thick documents that are hundreds of pages long. All the plaintiff's attorney has to do is point to one sentence in there that you didn't strictly comply with and they’ll be able to shout about a breach of contract.

RC: That doesn't sound good. 

Uncle Ed: You don't need that kind of headache.

If you want to know more about The Restoration Lawyer and his involvement in the industry, watch our prior interview with Ed Cross or read the article in Restoration and Remediation (R&R) Magazine titled A History of Collaboration; A Future of Advocacy. 

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