After the Water Damage: What’s Next?
Water damage comes in a variety of ways and quantities, from simple seepage through cracks in the floor or foundation, leaky water heaters, and overflowing toilets or sinks to broken pipes, backed up sewers or septic systems, and outright floods from lakes and rivers. No matter what the source or cause, unwanted water can do enormous damage to your belongings and property.
Water damage requires a prompt response in order to clean up the mess, make your home livable, and prevent mold. While the cleanup crews move quickly, the aftermath can seem to take forever. There are many things that demand your attention. You have insurance claims forms to file, bills to pay, and items to replace. In the event of a disaster, a detailed inventory will be imperative for your compensation.
Creating a Home Inventory
Creating a home inventory is one of the most important steps you can take in order to make sure you are adequately insured–and it can make filing a claim in the event of a disaster much easier as well.
After all, it’s the inventory that establishes which items the insurance company will pay to clean, restore, or replace – and it’s the inventory that the insurance company uses to determine how much to pay. With this in mind, thoroughly documenting all damaged items is an absolute must.
What should an inventory contain? At its most basic, a home inventory is a list of all of your home’s belongings and their value. Ideally, you will have created a home inventory before any damage occurs. This would give you a good starting point for your insurance claim. Whether you have an existing inventory or not, after a water damage claim, you will need to identify and list all damaged items as part of the insurance claims process.
If you have an existing inventory, use it to highlight all damaged items, adding items to the list if necessary. If you do not have an inventory, you’ll need to start from scratch. Separate all water damaged items from the non-damaged items. Your water damage restoration company may have already done this step for you. Next, take photos of each item and list each item on a sheet of paper or in a spreadsheet. You’ll want to note the following:
- Item name – What type of item is it? For example, TV, antique vase, computer tower, area rug, etc.
- Item description – Describe the item in greater detail. For example, 55-inch Sony Bravia LCD TV or handmade 12×12 blue and yellow Turkish area rug
- Value – How much did you pay for the item? How much is it currently worth?
- Purchase date or approximate age – When did you purchase the item? How old is it?
Any special notes – Here’s where you’ll enter additional details. For example, is the item one-of-a-kind? Upgraded?
Disasters happen. When they do, we will be there. We will keep you operating and get your facility or business back to normal as quickly as possible. We offer complete emergency services through minimizing further damage and restoration of both building and contents.
“One Call Does It All 612-331-4454”
Direct Insurance Billing | At Your Door in 1 Hour or Less | 24 Hour Service
24/7/365 Emergency Service. Approved by all insurance companies. Fast Response. A Rating with BBB. Done Right Water and Fire Restoration. Call today free estimates. 612-331-4454
