FLOOD & WATER
What to do if you have a water damage insurance claim
Once a water loss has occurred, the single most important thing you need to do is begin proper emergency mitigation. Removal and dry out should begin immediately. Consider employing an experienced public adjuster to guide you through this process. How a water loss is handled in the first 24 hours can be critical in the outcome of your property damage claim. As an example, we often see insurance company adjusters interested in saving money for the carrier, neglecting to remove baseboards and other finishes. This prevents air from circulating throughout a building’s wall system. Wet carpet needs to be pulled in total or you may be harboring conditions which could lead to further damage or mold. Sticking a blower in an up-lifted corner of carpet will not get the job done as the padding is often soaked and needs to be replaced.
STEP ONE: NOTIFY YOUR INSURER TO START THE CLAIMS PROCESS
- After experiencing a flood, contact your agent or insurance company to file a claim. Make sure you have the following information handy:
- The name of your insurance company
- Your policy number
- A telephone and/or email address where you can be reached at all times
STEP TWO: DOCUMENT THE DAMAGE
- Separate damaged from undamaged property. Your adjuster will need evidence of the damage to your home and possessions to prepare your repair estimate.
- Take photographs of all of the damaged property, including discarded objects, structural damage, and standing floodwater levels.
- Make a list of damaged or lost items and include their date of purchase, value, and receipts, if possible.
- Officials may require disposal of damaged items so, if possible, place flooded items outside of the home.
STEP THREE: COMPLETE A PROOF OF LOSS TO SUPPORT YOUR CLAIM
- Your adjuster will assist you in preparing a Proof of Loss (which is your sworn statement of the amount you are claiming including necessary supporting documentation) for your official claim for damages. A Proof of Loss can be many things, but must contain the specific details set forth in the Homeowner, Commercial or Standard Flood Insurance Policy. You’ll need to file your Proof of Loss with your insurance company within 60 days of the flood. This document substantiates the insurance claim and is required before the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) or insurance company can make payment.
- You’ll receive your claim payment after you and the insurer agree on the amount of damages and the insurer has your complete, accurate, and signed Proof of Loss. If major catastrophic flooding occurs, it may take longer to process claims and make payments because of the sheer number of claims submitted.
Other tips
- All water restoration technicians need to be IICRC (Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification) certified and follow the guidelines provided by the IICRC.
- Typically, your insurance company will cover the ensuing damage but sometimes, not the cause of the loss. This applies for most plumbing fixtures, including water heaters, dishwashers, washing machines, and sprinkler systems. The bad news is that typically insurance policies do not provide coverage to the damaged pipe themselves and the owner may be responsible to pay for the plumber costs associated with the repair or replacement of a broken pipe.
- Most states have consumer insurance codes that protect you, the insured policyholder, from unnecessary delays, underpayments and denial of policy benefits.
- We exclusively represent the interests of policyholders. Our team will document your damages, interpret your policy, handle all the inspections, paperwork, negotiations, code compliance and hold your insurance company accountable ensure they pays you timely, accurately and to the full legal value of your policy.
3 Categories of water
- Clean Water – Some examples of this are a pipe break within the wall or a supply line to a plumbing source. During an attic mounted water heater failure, while clean water is released, it is running through dirty insulation and often times attics prior to its final destination. There are times when clean water losses may become grey water losses.
- Grey Water – Some examples of this are overflows from your washing machine, toilet overflow or tub overflow. A washing machine, though clean water, is considered grey because of the organic matter contained inside of it, which can include hair follicles, skin cells, and even fecal matter.
- Black Water – Some examples of this are sewage backup, and surface water flooding. Often times, there are special limits to the amount of coverage provided for sewage backup and no coverage for flood (flood will be insured through the National Flood Insurance Program and in rare cases attached as a rider through your mortgage company). In the event black water damages are not mitigated immediately and properly, mold damage is inevitable.
4 Classes of water damage
- A moderate amount of water discharge, which is found in reasonable amount of time, can be cleaned and mitigated with limited to no building material removal outside of flooring.
- This level will affect an entire room or multiple rooms and building material is being affected.
- This is a large amount of water and will affect ceilings, walls, insulation and flooring.
- This is labeled as a specialty situation with an unmaintainable amount of water intrusion and has had time to saturate into the materials such as hardwoods, brick and stone.
Precautions to prevent freezing pipes:
- Clean your gutters so melting snow and ice can flow freely.
- Turn on your faucets and allow them to drip slowly. Moving water will prevent freezing.
- Heat your house to a minimum of 65 degrees in the winter.
- Open cabinet doors below sinks. It will help allow warm air to circulate.
- Drain your water system if you’re away for an extended time.
- Disconnect all gardening hoses and install covers on all outside faucets.
- Identify the location of the main water valve and the valve on your water heater. (Learning the location of these valves may come in handy during an emergency.)
- Wrap pipes nearest exterior walls and in crawl spaces with pipe insulation or with heating tape. This can prevent freezing, especially for interior pipes that run along outside walls.
- Close all windows near water pipes; cover or close open-air vents. Freezing temperatures combined with wind drafts can cause pipes to freeze more frequently.
- Heat your basement and consider weather sealing your windows.
- Insulate outside walls and unheated areas of your home.
- If you plan to be away from home for an extended period of time, shut off water supply valves to your washing machine.
Monitor freezing pipe conditions
- Allow a faucet to drip slightly (lukewarm water) in order to minimize freezing.
- The first sign of freezing is reduced water flow from a faucet.
- Check your faucets for water flow and pressure before you go to sleep and again when you wake up.
- Check pipes around your water meter, in unheated areas, near exterior walls and in crawl spaces. These tend to be vulnerable to freezing conditions.
- Identify cold air drafts coming in from a flue or chimney chase and caulk gaps that are near pipes.
If a pipe freezes
- If a faucet or pipe inside your house freezes, you can thaw it using a good hair dryer. (For safety purposes, avoid operating a hair dryer around standing water.)
- To thaw a frozen pipe, heat water on the stove, soak towels in the hot water and wrap them around cold sections of the pipes.
- When thawing a pipe, start thawing it nearest to the faucet. Make sure the faucet is turned on so that melted water can drip out.
If a pipe bursts
- Shut off water at the main valve.
- If the break is in a hot water pipe, the valve on top of the water heater should be closed.
- Call a plumber. Keep an emergency number nearby for quick access.
