Do you have a homeowner’s insurance or renter’s insurance? There is a chance that it may or may not cover water damage to your home. Have you checked this with your insurance company? To be honest, this is very common for insurance companies nowadays to not cover water damage. In most of the cases you have to purchase this policy separately. It also depends on the location where you live in.
However, even if your insurance company has water damage coverage, it still may not cover all kinds of water damage. For instance, they have some policies that will cover rain flooding and sewer backup, but they will not cover any accidental water damage or burst pipes. It is also important to understand what your insurance company will replace in the event your possessions become damaged. Some of their policies will restore some of your electronics and furnishings, whereas others will only compensate for the damage occurred to home’s structure.
The first thing you need to do is file a claim with your insurance company. Next, wait for their claim adjuster to make a visit to your location and assess all of the damage. Before they arrive at your location, your insurance company will tell you to put the boards on your windows and doors in order to prevent any further damage. In case you have any possessions, which are in good condition, you will be requested to store them in some place safe.
As for the other damaged stuff, you will be told to leave it and do not touch any of it. The adjusters will then see what was damaged so they can accurately process your claim. However, before adjuster arrives, you should take snap photos of all the damaged areas. You need to collect all the evidence of water damage to back up your claim. Never clean up or throw anything away. Also, do not attempt to make any repairs until the adjusters have completed their inspection.
After the adjuster has finished assessing all of the water damage, you will find out within 2 weeks whether or not the claims have been approved. You will have to wait for the insurance claim to be approved before you can start throwing out any items and make any repairs. This is what your insurance company will be paying for.
On the contrary, if your claim is denied because the adjuster believes the damaged was caused by some ongoing leak, which wasn’t repaired, then you should request a second opinion from a public adjuster. In case they find your claim to be legitimate, they will then forward their findings to your insurance company and it will cause the company’s denial to be reversed.
