What Must I Know When Filing Water Damage Insurance Claim?

Water damage is one of the most common insurance claims that homeowners make in Glendale, CA. A survey revealed that 98 percent of basements in the U.S. experience some water damage, and water damage problems affect about 14,000 people in the country every single day. Thus, it is critical to know how to handle water damage and what precautions to follow when filing a water damage insurance claim.

The first thing you should know before filing a water damage claim is the different categories of water damage so that you know which category your water damage incident falls into.

What are the different Categories of water damage?

There are three categories of water damage as follows:

Category 1 Water Damage:

·       The source of water damage is natural from sources like rain or tap water leakage.

·       The water is not toxic or poisonous.

·       The water is not going to cause any health issues if ingested accidentally. 

Category 2 Water Damage:

·       The water damage is caused by contaminated sources such as washing facilities, storage tanks containing detergents, diluted urine, etc.

·       The water is toxic and harmful.

·       The water can cause health issues if ingested accidentally.

Category 3 Water Damage:

·  The water damage is caused by highly contaminated sources such as sewage facilities, harmful pathogenic and toxic contamination from manufacturing plants, medical facilities, etc.

·       The water is extremely toxic and poisonous.

·       The water can cause critical health problems if ingested accidentally.

While all categories of water damage can cause damages, there are certain clauses in which certain water damage cases are not covered by insurance companies.

For instance, if water damage is caused by flooding due to a source located within the home, it might not be covered by your insurance company. Most often, only those water damage cases are covered where flooding is caused due to a source located outside the house.

Besides, water damage caused by a lack of plumbing maintenance is also not covered by insurance companies.

What to Do When Filing Water Damage Insurance Claim

Here are the steps that you should follow when recording an incident of water damage to file the claim:

1.   Take photographs safely and then remove the water accumulated in the area.

2.    Look at the electrical systems and carefully uninstall them to avoid any fire accidents.

3.   Examine any weakened furniture or ceiling that is likely to break down and remove it from places of activity to ensure safety.

4.  Record all the damage while giving special attention to the size and kind of damage and take photographs to support your claim.

5.   Seek a consultation from a public adjuster to get an idea of whether your water damage incident is eligible to be covered by your insurance policy, what kind of damage it is, and how much restoration amount you can expect for settlement.

6.   Also, get the affected area inspected by a water damage restoration contractor to see if there are any hidden damages that have weakened the housing structure and that can lead to potential accidents.

Many insurance companies urge homeowners to use their own contractors and public adjusters. However, you should not fall into any trap and should use your own discretion when seeking the services of a claim adjuster. An independent public adjuster can give you unbiased advice as their interest is aligned with you and not the company.