water damage cleanup

How to Reduce the Stress of Your Water Damage Claim

With the holiday season in full force, nobody needs extra stress in their lives. Water damage might be that last straw you can’t afford. Here are some tips on ways to proactively strengthen your case before disaster strikes and minimize the blow when you’re dealing with the aftermath.

Have you:

  • Prepared a home inventory that includes photos?
  • Become familiar with what your policy actually covers?
  • Taken protective action to ensure your home doesn’t incur more damage?

Unless you’ve dealt with water damage before, chances are your answers to the above are all no. No worries. If you also haven’t chosen a water damage restoration company already, now is the time. Companies such as ServiceMaster can help you get your home back in top order in no time.

A few things you should consider when it comes to home restoration following water damage:

Take lots of photos. Document the damage carefully as well as your efforts to reduce the loss. You can even submit “before” photos (from your home inventory, if you have one) to show the comparison.

Watch your language. Literally. Because no standard home insurance policy covers floods, don’t describe the water damage in your home as a “flood” in your written claim.

Document involvement of others. That way you may get your deductible back from your carrier. Let’s say the tenant in the apartment above you had a pipe burst. Document their name, contact information, insurance company name and policy number, contractor license number, and so forth. Was a vehicle involved? Get the VIN number and insurance information.

Be careful what you clean up. You don’t want to get in a situation where the cause of the damage is your word against the adjuster’s. Leave evidence that your damage was caused by an accident in place, or take a picture of it as proof, balancing that with the need to prevent further damage.

Find out what your insurance company will pay for in way of temporary housing, meals, etc. in the event you must vacate your home while the restoration company handles the clean-up. Keep detailed records of what you spend and from where.

Need a hand?

ServiceMaster is a leading home restoration company in Pittsburgh, PA. ServiceMaster provides restoration services from water damage, mold removal, fire damage restoration, storm and hail damage repair, and more. We have experience working with all types of insurance providers. Call us today!

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