Transcript
- Water Damage is the most common reason that property owners report insurance claims in the United States, accounting for at least 25% of all property insurance claims reported each year. Just imagine being in that situation - You arrive home from work and discover a broken water pipe in your kitchen or bathroom and water is spraying everywhere. Would you know what to do? Here are the top five things you should do immediately after discovering water damage in your home. 1 - Turn Off the Water. This may seem obvious, but it's easy to panic when you discover a pipe break and don't know what to do. Worse still, some homes lack adequate shutoffs, which makes it difficult to turn off water in the event that something does happen. When possible, you can shut off the water to the affected area, but if unable to do this, you may need to shut off the main water line. 2 - Remove Sentimental or High Value Items from the affected area. Do you have paintings on a wall that is wet? Are your family photos stored in a closet near where the pipe broke? Moving these items now may prevent them from being damaged. As the water continues to wick, pay careful attention to anything that you do move as anything that is wet, may require special treatment to prevent further damage or mold growth. 3 - Mop Up as much Water as Possible. The longer water sits, the more damage it can do so it's always recommended to clean up as much of the water as possible. 4 - Call your local Disaster Blaster. Even though you cleaned up as much water as possible, water was still able to penetrate into building materials like flooring, walls, and framing. This is a job for the pros who have specialized moisture testing equipment and training to determine what is wet and what needs to be done to prevent further damage and address your water damage situation properly. 5 - Report a Claim to your Insurance Company. Now that the mitigation services are underway and additional damage has been prevented. You may want to report a claim to your insurance company. Your local Disaster Blaster has already started documenting your claim and the mitigation services that were necessary and will be able to provide everything to the insurance company for their file, allowing your insurance company to process your claim timely and get your life back to normal as quickly as possible. It's important to note that while mitigation services are treated as an emergency by your insurance company and billed after the work is complete, your insurance company will generally want to review and approve repair estimates before that work is begun. As a result, while Disaster Blaster is eager to get your home put back together as quickly as possible for you, often there will be a slight delay while your insurance company reviews this repair estimate, the scope of work, and any special orders that may be necessary. Once the repairs are approved, this work will be able to be scheduled. A common misconception is that insurance companies need to approve mitigation services, confirm coverage, or send an adjuster out before you are able to have a company begin this work, and that's untrue. Your insurance company wants you to begin the mitigation process as quickly as possible to avoid further damage and more costly repairs. Not only that, but delays in beginning the mitigation services can actually create potential coverage issues as secondary or additional damage may not be covered. For this reason, it's always a good idea to address water damage issues immediately and get the help of a local mitigation expert like Disaster Blaster that not only is able to address the water damage needs at your home but is experienced in insurance claims as well. No matter where water damage may occur in your home, it's important to address your issue immediately to prevent further damage from an ongoing leak wicking and mold growth. We understand that water damage is stressful and confusing, and that's why Disaster Blaster is always here to help. Thanks for watching. If you enjoyed this episode, please like and subscribe. Your support helps our channel grow, and if you have any questions about water damage or insurance claims, please leave them in the comments. We read all of our comments and are always here to help. Would you like to take control of your future and build a business you can be proud of? We can help. As a Disaster Blaster Franchise Partner, our industry experts will help you unlock the potential of the $210 billion restoration industry. Disaster Blaster offers the most revenue streams in the restoration industry, training and support from industry experts, a unique model primed for your success, and more! Call our franchise team today to learn more at 242-1042 or visit us on the web at www.DisasterBlasterFranchise.com. Thanks so much for watching. Don't forget to like and subscribe, and while you're here, check out our other great content.