Navigating Water Damage Claims: What to Do If You’ve Faced a Loss From Water Damage

Water losses can be a complex and costly challenge for property owners. Learn how to take swift action and minimize damage with these helpful tips from Morris & Garritano’s disaster restoration experts. 

Among the various forms of property claims, water losses present a particularly complex challenge. “Water loss” refers to damage or loss caused by the presence or intrusion of water into a property, typically as a result of an unexpected or accidental event, such as a burst pipe, flood, or water leak.

Water possesses the inherent property of permeating porous and semi-porous materials, thereby increasing the scope of damage beyond its initial point of origin. Furthermore, dampness resulting from water damage may give rise to mold growth, a costly and arduous issue to address, often not covered by property policies.

It is important to take swift measures to bring the water damage under control, given the potential for significant losses if left unchecked. What you’ll need to do will vary depending on the circumstances.

Here are some ideas to get you started:

• If you can do so safely, turn off circuit breakers for wet areas of the building, to minimize the risk of electric shock.
• Turn off the water or try to prevent it from coming into the building, as applicable.
• Call a plumber to repair any broken pipes. Save all damaged items, as your claims adjuster may want to inspect them.
• Wipe/mop up as much of the excess water as possible.
• Report a claim to your insurance company. Morris & Garritano is happy to help with this step, if needed.
• Document the damage with photos and videos wherever you can and keep all your bills and receipts.

Beyond this point, it’s probably best to get professionals involved to help you with the dry-out.

There are several disaster restoration contractors in the area; although Morris & Garritano is not able to make recommendations, we can certainly offer a list of local providers. Your insurance company may also be able to provide the names of contractors that they have vetted and approved in advance.

Whatever contractor you choose to use, it’s best to make sure that they are experienced with water damage claims, accustomed to working with insurance, and prepared to document both the damage and the measures taken to mitigate the loss.

Once the property is completely dry, a field adjuster will typically come to your property to confirm coverage for the loss, inspect the damage, and determine what repairs are needed to bring the property back to pre-loss condition.