What to Do First

Common causes of water damage are broken pipes, floods, sewage back-ups, and faulty window or door installation processes. When you have found water damage in your home or work space, it’s important that you watch out for all of these things in order to prevent water damage from happening again. It’s also important that you know what caused the water damage in the first place.

If you have insurance on your home, then you are probably covered. Most homeowner’s insurance plans will cover the costs of water damage restoration. They will not cover the damage if you let the water sit in your home for too long. The only way that your insurance company will pay the fees is if you call a company soon after the water damage was caused. If the insurance company can prove that you waited too long to hire a company to remove the water and damage created, then they can refuse to pay for the costs. This means it’s important that you report a leaking roof, pipe, or other structural issues that might cause water damage as soon as you see them. Reporting these problems will ensure that your insurance will cover the fees, and will help prevent flooding in the long run.

How Costs Are Calculated

The cost of water damage depends on several different factors. The size of the affected area is a main factor. The extent of the damage is another. If the water is full of harmful bacteria and microorganisms, then the cost will go up as well. The least expensive cost will be cleaning up water damage that was caused from a pipe. The next expensive is cleaning up water damage that was caused from a dishwasher or washing machine. This water will be gray and have minor contaminants. The most expensive is cleaning up water damage caused by a flood or sewage back-up. This water is typically black.

Fixing a small area of water damage from a leaky roof may only cost a few hundred dollars, whereas fixing a flooded basement can cost several thousand dollars, depending on the size of the affected area.