Deductible Assistance • We will work with your insurance
Water damage is one of the most common causes of insurance claims for homeowners. With a vast array of causes from dripping pipes to all-out flooding, the damage from water can range from a minor nuisance to complete destruction. When water isn't properly and immediately mitigated it has the potential to cause additional problems such as electrical hazards and microbial growth. When you find yourself faced with water damage, no matter the size, you can count on the experts at ServiceMaster Restore of Lynchburg. Professional advice and years of experience are only a phone call away.
Water mitigation is the process of reducing or preventing the amount of damage to a property after water-related damage. Water works quickly and efficiently to cause destruction in your home. We're ready to act even faster to help you prevent additional damages and costs.
Water damage can be caused anytime water enters your home where it shouldn't be. Some of the most common causes of water damages are:
No matter the cause, immediate mitigation is the key to reducing the damage to your home, and at ServiceMaster® we're always ready to take on that task. Our rapid response team is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year to immediately respond to your emergency water damage ensuring the most thorough and efficient restoration possible.
The faster the response to a water damage, the more likely we are to be able to salvage and restore your floors, walls, and priceless possessions. The certified technicians on our rapid response team offer decades of field experience to come into your home with the knowledge, confidence, and proven water remediation techniques that will have you on the way to recovery. Our expert team will guide you every step of the way from the first phone call to the last piece of furniture put back into place, so you'll know you're in excellent and caring hands from start to finish.
Water damage insurance claims depend on a few different criteria. Ultimately, that's a question you'll have to clarify with your insurance company. However, we can tell you that the viability of water damage insurance claims depends primarily on what caused the damage (storm, burst pipe, plumbing malfunction, localized flood, sump pump failure, etc.). Some insurance policies will outline scenarios that will NOT be covered without specific riders like flood insurance, or sump pump failure insurance.
Contacting a restoration contractor as well as your insurance adjuster at the same time is a good idea, because the restoration contractor will help make sure that not only will the water extraction and dry out be covered, but the rebuild process that should follow. If the full scope of the claim isn't outlined and agreed upon from the start, there may be issues down the line, and property owners may find themselves having to pay out of pocket to get the property completely back to normal.
That depends on the types of materials that were affected by water. Drywall, carpet, and hardwood floors will take longer to dry than other materials in the space. We use moisture meters throughout the process and in many different locations to gauge the moisture levels and will continue to adjust our fans and dehumidifiers to achieve an efficient but effective dry time. The bare minimum of "three days to dry" may only produce a surface dry, but can still leave behind moisture levels that create an ideal environment for mold to grown.
Most homeowners start trying to remove the water themselves before they realize they'll need to contact their insurance company about a claim so they can call in a water damage restoration company. However, standing water around anything with a power cord or outlet or sagging ceilings make the area unsafe. Also, many insurance claims require documentation of the loss BEFORE any work is done, including removing the water. Always take plenty of photos of the damage you see before taking any action to start cleaning up the mess. Your restoration contractor will be able to back up your insurance claim scope with the necessary technical documentation as well.
If the water damage involves Category 1 water (clean and free of microbes and bacteria), many of your personal belongings can be salvaged. Category 2 water would include other water sources, including rainwater, that, while not containing biohazards or sewage, still pose health risks and the potential for destructive microbial growth and mold. A water damage restoration technician will help you sort through the contents of the property to determine what can be safely dried, what can be restored by a textile/contents technician, and what can't be saved or salvaged. There are off-site facilities in the area that specialize in restoring water-damaged contents. Your restoration team will document all of the contents leaving the property for restoration or disposal for your records and also for reimbursement from your insurance company.
Identifying the source of the water damage is one of the first steps in both the insurance claim process but also before beginning to dry out and repair the damaged areas. After all, if you replace a sagging, wet ceiling that was caused by a roof leak but don't fix the roof, too, the next rainstorm will start the cycle all over again. The buckling to your hardwood floor could be caused by a leaking pipe. We will pinpoint the exact cause of your water damage and make sure the source is repaired. We make sure your restoration job is done right the first time.