Have you been victimized by water damage? Did your home flood due to faulty plumbing, roofing or waterproofing? Did mother nature bring all her glory into your home in the form of water? If you have water damage it’s time to make sure you have your insurance claim organized and in order. In this article we will give you 6 tips that will help ensure a successful claim process and maximize your compensation.
Limit damage
Once you realize that you have water damage, you must take steps to limit it. Otherwise, your insurance company may have the right to refuse all or part of your claim on the grounds that you did not intervene.
The actions you can take depend on the type of water damage you have. If you encounter a storm that has broken your windows and let water in, go up to your windows. If you have a plumbing leak, close the water in the house. If you have a roof leak, you can install a tarp to temporarily block the rain. If you have excess water not draining you will need to remove it right away with a pump.
Whether you need to pump out water or not, you must call a certified water damage restoration contractor as soon as possible. They may be aware of other steps you can take to limit the damage and can begin to repair. However, you may not want to approve major repairs before your claim is settled because your insurance company may not be able to pay you the full amount of the repairs. If you decide to wait, get a quote that you can show to the insurance expert.
Collect evidence
Your insurance company will need evidence to evaluate your claim. Fortunately, smart phones have made this part easy. Take pictures of all the damage and be complete. Also include anything that may have caused the damage, such as a broken pipe or a hole in the roof.
If the damage comes from a public government or municipality controlled water source, you must file an official water damage claim with the proper agencies right away.
Consider taking a video to complete the photos. It is difficult to be as complete with a video as with photos, but the videos are more convincing and offer a new perspective on the damage that the photos can not quite capture. If your application should ever be brought to court, the videos are very illustrative. As you record, describe what you see.
Written evidence is also important. Create an inventory of what has been damaged and include the value of each item and the estimated cost to replace it. If you are not sure, your restoration experts should have amounts for common items such as drywall. They can also help you find the value of a piece of furniture or other items. Ask the other professionals you work with to create quotes and reports explaining what happened and what it will cost to repair the damage. Experienced roofers and plumbers should be familiar with this process. If you decide to pay for quick repairs, make sure to keep your receipts.
Report it
It is now time to contact your insurance company. Do not delay in doing so or you compromise your request. Even if you think you will repair yourself, calling now will save you headaches later. If you are unsure whether your policy covers water damage, you should still try to make a claim. If you are not covered, the company will let you know, and your request will not be penalized.
Before calling, take out your policy number, as this is the first thing they will ask. The insurance company will probably tell you that you must complete a “proof of claim form.” If this is the case, be sure to ask him to send you a copy by email (the mail takes too much time). You can also ask them where to find the form on their website so you can print it.
If this process bothers you or you do not have the time to do so, your catering specialists can apply for you. They have a lot of experience to make successful claims of all sizes.
Are you a victim of floods or water damage?
For an insurance company, there is a big difference between flood damage and water damage. Floods are caused by nature and usually affect more than one house. Everything else, from broken pipes to leaking HVAC equipment, is damaged by water.
Talk to a public expert
The water insurance claim process can be slow. Your insurance company has 15 days to send an expert, who will assess the damage caused by the water. It is generally wise to hire an adjuster if you can, especially if your request is important. These professionals are not related to the insurance company, so they seek to discover the truth without seeking to minimize the impact of the latter.
Do not use vendors
After assessing the damage caused by the water, your insurance company has 15 additional days to decide on your claim. If they approve part or all of the application, they have five additional days to send you the money.
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