When you discover water damage in your home, your first reaction is “does my homeowner’s insurance cover this damage?” In many cases, you might have already prepaid a large portion of the clean-up costs via your monthly homeowner insurance policy premiums.
In order to decide whether to make a claim or not, you need to gather more information. Gather your paperwork to find out what your deductible is and what your insurance coverage actually covers. It’s best to contact a local water damage restoration company in Ellensburg to inspect the site and prepare a quotation for the repair costs. Then, you can reach out to your insurance adjustor with all the information that they need.
An annual review with your insurance agent is a great habit to have. This will give you the opportunity to make adjustments as you renovate and upgrade furnishings. Depending on what’s damaged, two types of coverage may apply:
Within your policy, you might have some more protections known as Coverage D. If water damage temporarily forces you out of your home, this coverage pays for the additional living expenses that you will have. This coverage kicks in when your home is damaged by a “covered peril” and you must unexpectedly move out while it’s being restored. Typically, it includes:
Again, the loss must have happened due to a covered peril as determined by your insurer.
You have two important calls to make. Get a water damage company on site right away. They will perform triage and put the resources on the most immediate need to reduce the overall amount of damage.
Second, call your insurance agent and start filing a claim to get the ball rolling with your insurance company. If the water damage was due to a heavy rainstorm, windstorm or tornado, all your neighbors will be getting in the same queue. The quicker you file a claim, the quicker an adjuster can get to your home.
As your filed claim works its way through the system, you need to record damage with photos and videos. Having a prepared home contents list will help you accurately document what possessions you own, how much you paid for them, and the current value.
Water damage claims are sometimes unjustly underpaid or denied. Insurance adjusters could deny coverage. They may allege that the type of water damage is not covered under your current policy.
An experienced restoration team has years of experience with the claim process and can guide you through it. For example, Clean Image Services, Inc. use state-of-the-art moisture mapping and thermal imaging technology with precise measurements. This data can then substantiate the full scope of water damage for more accurate settlements for our clients.
The unpredictable nature of this type of loss makes the full scope difficult to quantify. The result is that often the cost is underestimated and underpaid. So work in combination with your restoration team and your insurance agent for the best settlement.
Right away, request a certified copy of your insurance contract from your agent or insurance adjuster outlining your coverage. That way you can see what you’ve already paid for in your policy, including mold provisions, limitations, and your responsibilities.
When you need a water damage company to repair your home, choose a repair company that you can trust to be on your side, and not a vendor devoted to the insurance company’s will. You have the right to select the most qualified team. In Ellensburg, you can count on the experienced and professional water damage restoration company, Clean Image Services, Inc..