If you are living in South Florida, you might not be alien to the concept of water damage being an annual event.
Rising sea levels are notorious for washing down the streets of Miami and causing much-hated mold damages in areas where water is ignored.
In this article, we will understand how to restore water damage and file for an insurance claim if you have insurance against water damage.
If you are new to the insurance world and do not possess the insane amount of time, energy, and resources that are required to get a claim settled, then you can get the services of ProFloridian Public Adjusters, a Water Damage Public Adjusting firm in South Florida to file a claim on your behalf.
Before understanding how to go about restoring your property to its prime and getting your settlement amount, let us first understand the various categories of water damage and attempt to determine which category your incident falls into.
Category 1
The source of water in Category 1 damage is natural water from sources like rain or tap water leakage etc. It is not toxic or poisonous and will not cause any health issues if ingested accidentally.
Category 2
Water from contaminated sources such as a washing facility, storage tank containing detergents, diluted urine, etc. containing harmful microorganisms, etc.
Category 3
Water in this category comes from sewage facilities, harmful pathogenic and toxic contamination from manufacturing plants, medical facilities, etc.
While all these categories can cause damages of their own, there are a few clauses in which water damage to the property is not considered by insurance companies.
The damage due to flooding of the water-the source of which is within the home- is not covered by the carriers. For them to cover it, flooding should have occurred from a source located outside the house.
Lack of maintenance of plumbing and the damage caused due to them is not considered by the insurance carriers.
After all, insurance companies cannot subsidize negligence. Therefore these points must be taken into consideration before filing a water damage claim.
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Following Are the Steps to Take When You Record an Incident of Water Damage:
- Remove water buildup in the area.
- Look at the electrical systems and carefully uninstall them to render the house safe from any fire incident.
- Look for any weakened furniture or ceiling that may have a chance to breakdown and remove them from places of activity
- Record any and every damage with immense consideration to the size, kind of damage and take photographs to support your claims.
- Get second opinions from a Public Adjuster as to the kind of damage and estimated restoration amount that should settle it.
- Get a water damage restoration contractor to find out if there is any hidden damage that has weakened the housing structure and which can lead to severe potential accident
There may be times when the insurance company urges you to use their own contractors or adjusters for facilitating your claim settlement process. For this, you can consult with a residential public adjuster who can give you a sound idea on utilizing the insurance plan to gain maximum damage claim. You can read more here and find out how to get started with the process.
However, do not fall into those traps and use your own discretion to arrive at a conclusion when hiring a public adjuster.
It is important to note that the vendors of insurance companies have their interests aligned with the company and not you.
Therefore hire someone who will serve your purpose. Once the adjuster prepares a claim, the process should become easy and with requisite permission, you can begin the restoration work faster.
Remember to understand the terms of payment clearly before entering into any contract with public adjusters and decide on your involvement with the claim process beforehand.
They will guide you at every step of the way.
