What Are the Professional Steps to Take When Your Home Suffers Water Damage?
Water can cause serious damage to a home or business, and as public adjusters we’ve seen many owners try to clean it up themselves without realizing how much specialized equipment and expertise it actually takes to fully dry out walls, ceilings, and floors. If water isn’t fully dried, mold can take hold inside the structure — which is why we always recommend calling a professional water mitigation company for any water loss. Common causes like a leaking faucet or a burst pipe are typically covered losses, and as your public adjusters, we make sure your insurer pays to restore your property to its pre-loss condition. If your property sits in a low-lying area, remember that damage from outside floodwater requires separate flood insurance — standard policies won’t cover it.
Vital Steps for Water Damage Cleanup
1. Water Damage Assessment
The first call to make after any water loss is to Public Adjusters Atlanta at 404-445-5671. We’ll assess the extent of the damage, represent you when your insurance company comes to inspect it, and make sure every bit of the damage gets covered. We’ll also help you find a qualified water loss contractor — never one recommended by the insurance company, since that contractor works for them, not you. The initial cleanup should come from a reputable water mitigation company, followed by a separate restoration contractor to handle repairs. If your claim is large enough to file, the only cost you’re responsible for is your deductible — never more, regardless of how extensive the damage is.
2. Mitigation Assessment
As soon as water damage occurs, we help bring in a professional water cleanup company whose mitigation team inspects the damage and stops it from getting worse — locating the source of the leak, assisting with repairs, and clearing debris or contamination with the right specialized equipment.
3. Dehumidifiers and Fans
Next, the mitigation team sets up dehumidifiers and fans to dry out remaining moisture. Water damage often reaches well beyond what’s visible, penetrating into concrete floors and wall cavities — and it gets worse the longer it’s left untreated. Technicians typically use FLIR imaging to map the full extent of the damage and determine the best drying strategy before deploying dehumidifiers to pull moisture from the air.
4. The Drying Process
Once assessment is complete, specialized drying equipment goes to work under the supervision of a mitigation project manager, tailored to the extent of the damage. Every area touched by water needs to be fully dried before moving forward — the manager may also recommend document drying or air quality testing to confirm the space is safe.
5. Reconstruction
In nearly every case, some level of reconstruction or renovation follows. We help you bring in a professional restoration contractor who works from a detailed damage estimate we help prepare. Our estimators account for every material and cost needed to restore your property to its pre-loss condition or better, and when the insurance company sends their own estimator or adjuster, we make sure our estimate reflects absolutely everything that’s owed.
6. Project Completion
A reconstruction project manager oversees the work through to completion, making sure everything is finished and cleaned up properly. The job isn’t considered done until you, the property owner, sign a certificate of completion — we won’t tell the insurance company the work is finished until you’re fully satisfied.
Let Public Adjusters Atlanta handle your water loss claim from start to finish, and make sure your insurance company and contractor put your property back to pre-loss condition.
Call Us Now! 404-445-5671