If there’s water damage in your home, there’s no need to panic as long as you have a home insurance policy. Still, you must take the following steps to ensure you get the best possible settlement to fix your house.
1- Determine the Source of the Water and Stop the Flowing
If it is safe to do so, the first step you should take is to stop the water flow to prevent causing more damage. The best way to do this is by completely shutting down the house’s main valve, but sometimes you will need some extra work.
2- Determine Whether the Damage Is Covered by Your Insurance Policy or Not
Water damage in properties is pretty common, but not all cases are covered by insurance policies. You will only get coverage if you couldn’t have predicted the damage. If it was caused due to a lack of maintenance or neglect, you would have to pay it out of your pockets.
3- Call Your Insurance Agent and Report the Claim
Mold and mildew develop pretty fast, so you mustn’t wait until it happens to file your claim and let your insurance company know about the problem. The best thing to do is to call it as soon as you notice the damage so that they can guide you through the following steps.
4- Get Everything Professionally Cleaned Up
Find a reliable water damage and restoration company to fix all issues caused in your property and prevent mold from growing and causing potential health hazards. Make sure to find licensed professionals with reasonable rates.
5- Determine If the House Needs to Be Evacuated
In some cases, the damage will be so severe that you need to evacuate the area, as it could cause health issues to the people in the house. The most common causes of evacuation are chemicals and mold in the water.
6- Register Everything
Make sure to take photos and videos of the damage, as well as save all receipts of the money you spend during this time so that you can use it as evidence to back your claim.
7- Meet with Your Adjuster
Your insurance adjuster will meet with you as soon as possible to evaluate the damage and determine whether you qualify to be covered or not and calculate how much you should get in your settlement.
8- Negotiate the Settlement
In most cases, small claims won’t need too much of a negotiation process. Still, if your water damage requires a much more significant investment, you must use your negotiation skills to get as much coverage as possible. Still, you can always ask your agent to be a middleman and negotiate this for you.
Bottom Line
Once you get your settlement, you’re ready to start fixing the water damage in your house, and although this process may seem a bit tedious, it is much better than using your own money to buy everything you need to fix your home.