Water Damage Claims Explained! Here's What You Can Expect...

6/24/2019 (Permalink)

Never Fear! SERVPRO of Chester, Hardin, Henderson and McNairy Counties is here to help you navigate your water damage claim.

Water damage to your home, regardless of the cause, can be a nightmare to understand.  You’ll have to deal with insurance, adjusters, contractors, and your house might be a complete mess. Sometimes, just understanding the process and the lingo can make it a lot easier on the distraught homeowner. Here’s a basic rundown of what happens when SERVPRO responds to your water damage.

The first thing that generally happens is that you come home from work, or wake up in the morning to find water standing, or worse, spewing from a faulty pipe, toilet, or other plumbing fixture. Now you’re not sure what to do, but never fear, here’s what happens next…

STEP ONE: Turn off the water at the source of the leak if possible. If you’re not sure of the source, or not able to shut off water to it, then turn it off at the outside main. The faster you can stop the water from coming in, the less damage will occur.

STEP TWO: Call your insurance company. Get your claim started as soon as possible to prevent delays in getting your home repaired.

STEP THREE: Call in a plumber or the necessary professional to stop the leak and correct the problem. Clean up and repair cannot begin until the leak has been stopped. Most insurance companies don’t cover the “cause of loss” (the leaking pipe or faulty appliance), but they do cover the damage caused by it. More than likely, the plumber or other professional’s repair bill will be an out-of-pocket expense.

STEP FOUR: Call SERVPRO of Chester, Hardin, Henderson and McNairy Counties. We’ll take all your information and dispatch a crew to begin extracting any standing water, tearing out damaged materials, and set drying equipment.

This is known as the mitigation phase of the claim. Keep in mind, the mitigation phase is only to mitigate, or stop, further damage. We will tear out flooring and/or drywall only to find the “dry line”, or the place where the water damage stops, which may not be the entire room or space.

Once we’ve removed all the water and damaged materials, we’ll set drying equipment to dry any structural material that was affected by water. The drying phase usually takes 3-5 days, during which we’ll monitor the moisture level at regular intervals to ensure things are drying properly. This concludes the mitigation phase, and most insurance companies issue payment to the mitigation provider directly, although sometimes the policyholder’s name will be listed on the check also, and will need to be endorsed by you. However, each insurance company is different, so check with your own provider regarding their process.

During the drying phase, SERVPRO of Chester, Hardin, Henderson and McNairy Counties, or your preferred contractor, will build the repair estimate and submit to your insurance company. Typically, your deductible is applied on this estimate, as opposed to the mitigation portion, but again, companies vary, so check with your adjuster. 

STEP FIVE: Once drying is complete, and a repair estimate has been approved by your insurance company, repairs can begin. Insurance companies typically will replace entire rooms of flooring, so if, during mitigation we only removed partial flooring in a given room, the remainder will be removed and the entire floor replaced. If you’ve chosen SERVPRO of Chester, Hardin, Henderson and McNairy Counties to complete your repairs, we will discuss with you each aspect of the repairs, and help you choose flooring, paint colors, etc. based on the allowance given by your insurance company. Repair time can vary depending on the extent of damage and the availability of materials, but rest assured, it’ll soon be back to “Like it never even happened.”

Finally, once repairs are completed, you’ll need to sign our “Certificate of Satisfaction” stating we completed all repairs according to the approved estimate. Payment can then be issued by your insurance company. If you have a mortgage, the check may need to be endorsed by the mortgagee, and/or you, the homeowner, prior to being remitted to SERVPRO. If you have a deductible, it will be payable at this time as well. Don’t worry, though, our office personnel are here to help you with that process as well.

Call SERVPRO of Chester, Hardin, Henderson and McNairy Counties today! We’re here 24/7 to help! 731-983-0883