If you want to own real property in a subtropical region like South Florida, you’d better come to terms with water. Claims for water damage cleanup and restoration reflect this reality. These are the most common type in our insurers’ Inboxes.
INSIDE JOB?
Reading this, you’re probably thinking of. our seasonal hurricanes, torrential summer rainstorms, and flooding.These, indeed, weak havoc with our properties. However, the year-round, everyday water damage to homes and businesses is what you might call an “inside job”. Plumbing failures, that is. Private floods, so to speak, rather than “gifts of nature”. It doesn’t take long for an plumbing failure to cause water damage any Cat 3 hurricane would be proud of. A few hours, in some cases.Or less.
Let’s set aside the natural disasters for now. We’ll discuss that side in another post. Here, let’s focus on the issues a homeowner faces when claiming for water damage from non-natural causes.
A FLOOD OF SCENARIOS
The whole matter of insurance claims for water damage is quite technical. This is because of the variety of causes and types of damage caused. Roofs leak, toilets clog, pipes leak, pipes burst, appliances leak, and more. Damages range from drywall destruction through mold infestation to contamination by “black water” with bacteria.
Insurers, being in business to make a profit, respond and adapt to the stream of claims landing on their desks. They “tune” the policies they offer with exclusions, limitations, and conditions. Naturally, they must make these changes in compliance with state laws. The state does pass new insurance laws, and amend exisitng law, with the interests of Florida homeowners in mind. The result, however, often complicates the claims process beyond the average homeowner’s knowledge. To say nothing of his or her time and patience.
A STITCH IN TIME…
The best case scenario with water damage is, of course, no water damage. South Florida homeowners need to learn prevention. Like shutting the mains, for example, when going away for a week or for the summer.
WATER DAMAGE CLEANUP STRATEGY
There’s no space here to spell out even the most basic twists and turns in the water damage claims maze. Instead, we at Florida Loss Public Adjusters offer 2 basic principles as guidance:
- Time is of the essence. Water damage progresses quickly. Not only that, but a policyholder’s prospects for recovery of damages weakens with each passing hour he or she doesn’t act constructively.
- The issue is simply too complex and too time-sensitive for most homeowners to tackle alone. Hence, the best thing to do is reach out to an experienced South Florida public adjuster as soon as water damage is observed or suspect. The adjuster can advise on the advantageous and effective steps to mitigate the damages. And to set the table for a claim process that succeeds.
Don’t go it alone. Water damage cleanup and repair can be very costly.Partner immediately with an experienced public adjuster. So you don’t get soaked.