If you’ve experienced water damage to your home or commercial property, On-Site Adjusting can help. Our team of expert water damage claims adjusters & contractors are qualified to negotiate with the insurance company for a payout that will restore your property to pre-disaster condition or better.
Keep reading below to learn more about the different kinds of water damage and our process for repairs. In this article, we’ll also discuss the ways in which we can assist with filing a water damage insurance claim with your provider and help cover the costs of repair.
What IS Water Damage?
Water damage is damage to your home caused by an excess of water, due to events such as a storm, flood, or burst pipe. Water can damage the structure or contents of your home in many ways, like rotting of wood, providing ideal conditions for mold and bacterial growth, rusting of steel, or delamination of materials.
Water damage is not to be ignored or put off. Without a prompt response, problems like mold or bacterial growth can present severe biohazards to occupants, and swelling or rotting wood can eventually result in structural collapse.
If you’ve experienced water damage to your home or other property, call a claims and restoration company that specializes in water damage (like On-Site Adjusting ) to inspect the affected areas. They’ll be able to gauge the severity of the damage and draft an efficient plan for repairs.
How Does The Water Damage Restoration Process Work?
Mitigation
If the source of the water damage is unknown, locating the source is the first step in the restoration process. Water damage restoration specialists have infrared equipment and probes that can identify the flood source and areas of impact.
Once the source is known, emergency mitigation services are a top priority. This involves controlling the source of water, removing destroyed contents/materials, and extracting excess water.
Then, the next steps are cleaning and drying the home’s contents. Flood cleanup can involve a wide variety of materials depending on the source and nature of the flood. For example, floods caused by sewer backup and overflow require specific chemicals and cleaning protocols, in contrast to storm-related flooding.
During the cleaning and drying process, the property is also inspected to create a plan for further restoration work. This may include: replacing destabilized or warped wood beams; refinishing countertops; sending electronics and appliances to an offsite restoration center; and other similar tasks.
Negotiation
After the water damage is mitigated, the public adjuster will assess your property in order to negotiate the loss and maximize your insurance payout. On-Site Adjusting is qualified to assist with the different types of claims process. The settlement of the claim will be done before starting the construction in order to make sure you receive the proper amount of money from the insurance company.
Restoration
Finally, when the bulk of restoration work is complete, drying equipment like air movers, scrubbers, and dehumidifiers, are left in the residence. The goal of the drying process is to reduce the moisture content of impacted materials to 15% or less, to prevent bacteria and mold growth.
DOES HOME INSURANCE COVER WATER DAMAGE?
All home insurance policies are different, but it’s probably safe to bet that your provider offers some kind of water damage protection. Typically, home insurance covers:
- Sudden or accidental water discharge
- Storm-related water damage
Surprisingly, most standard homeowner’s insurance policies don’t cover the flooding caused by severe weather events outside your home. If you want flood coverage, you’ll need to purchase flooding home insurance separately.
Additionally, most home insurance policies don’t cover water damage caused by sewer backup or overflow. Typically, this coverage is available as an add-on for your standard insurance policy.
If you’re unsure whether your water damage is covered by your insurance provider, give us a call. We’ll read through the details of your insurance policy together. If you do qualify for a settlement, we’ll help file and negotiate your water damage insurance claim to ensure you receive the highest possible reimbursement, and then we’ll get the work done to restore your property back to normal!
