What Do I Do if My House Has Water Damage?
Having your home damaged by water is always sad. Water is a powerful armor that could make you many problems like damaged walls and flooring, swollen wallpapers and furniture panels, electricity breakouts and your home appliances get out of work. It is just a peak of an iceberg as water damage could lead to considerable losses in the future. Water could stay in your basement leading to its molding and ruining constantly. Even a small amount of water that gets on your roof or attic in future can make the ceiling leaking. As the proverb says, drops of water can pierce rocks, so water leaks can even damage metal and concrete.
There are many reasons, why your house could be damaged by water. In some cases, leaking appliances or plumbing lead to this. It is not uncommon also to have water damage from powerful natural disasters like storms, tornados or floodwaters.
Whatever the reason why your house was damaged by water, you need to take immediate actions to save it. We offer you some tips on how to cope with water damaging your house. Let us do several steps to minimize its damage.
Starting With Leak Detection
There should be a reason why water is already in your house. In some cases, that reason is quite evident so you can skip that stage but we highly recommend getting leak detection services from professional repair people.
To get them, please contact the nearest leak detection company as soon as you noticed that water was ruining your home. Key reasons for water leaking are usually the following:
- Piping leakage.
- Plumbing breakdowns.
- Washing machine or other appliances breakouts.
- Flood from neighbors living above (for condominium tenants).
- Natural reasons like rain, flood etc.
A professional water leak team will quickly inspect your house to find the source of leakage. Their services may also include the urgent removal of leakage sources.
Applying for Water Mitigation Services
When the flood is considerable, it is hard to remove it yourself having just a rag and cleaner at your disposal. To remove water from the house, just apply for water mitigation services. Experienced water pollution staff use special pumps and dryers to remove every drop out of your home. Besides, their services allow you to get rid of mold and fungus, as these harmful things start growing in 72 hours after the water got to your home and it is extremely difficult to remove them yourself.
In what cases water mitigation services are a must? We are not talking about water damage, which consists just of a few puddles on the floor. There are more cases, which you may encounter:
- Water had flooded the basement of the house.
- There is a considerable amount of water on the floor.
- Piping is broken and you cannot stop water flow from them.
- The flood is caused by boiled water from your water heater, heating system.
- Water floods dangerous electricity.
Skilled water mitigation technicians will help you to pump out water, remove broken things from the house and the most important option is that they help inspecting the damage and calculate it.
Hiring a Public Adjuster
The US insurance system is not happy with water damage compensations. In regular homeowners insurance policies, compensation for flooding the house is not prescribed. Yet, you can fight for your right to be compensated if a water leak was sudden and unexpected. These facts can help you deal with your insurance company.
It will be profitable to contact the state regulator, who will be your representative in the insurance company to apply for compensation. Public adjuster's services are more than just visiting the insurance company's office instead of you. This is a professional, who provides a full evaluation of water damage in your house, approved by state laws. He will help with drawing up documents for insurance company and he will help you to get compensation as soon as possible.
Applying to Your Insurance Company
Then it is time to contact your insurance company. In case of water damage, you should call its representative beforehand so that he comes and starts an investigation. To be sure that everything will be documented properly, it is important to photograph and videotape all the damage before repairmen or water mitigation pros will remove them. Do not forget that the US homeowner's insurance policy does not cover cases of water leaks due to bad maintenance or delayed repair. If you live in states with increased water flood hazards, it is better to insure your house with special water flood insurance programs provided by the US.
Starting Water Damage Restoration
When all the stages are completed, it is time to eliminate all the damages caused by water. Some homeowners choose to do all the renovation themselves. In the case of considerable damages, it can be costly and less efficient than applying for water damage restoration services. In that case, you will easily repair your device, provide a stable power supply and repair the interior. It is up to you to save money and time by applying for professional services in the field of water damage renovation.
If your house was damaged by water, it is a sad but not an ultimate experience. You can overcome it with the help of professional services that will make all the best to make your home a comfortable and safe place as it was before.