According to the latest statistic data, the number of homeowners in the United States of America faced the issue of their property damaged by water flooding. This problem may be caused by different reasons, but let’s see the most common of them below:

• burst pipes;
• leaks from water-related appliances, such as washing machine, dishwasher, refrigerator, and so on;
• flooding caused by a natural disaster, such as storm, hurricane, river flooding, and so on.

In case water flooding caused a significant level of damage for your residential property, you will not be able to handle the restoration process out without claiming your insurance company. Here are a few signs that the level of damage is significant:

• deformation of the floor covering;
• peeling walls;
• sagging ceiling and so on.

So if you as a homeowner noticed signs of significant property damage, you should file a claim to your insurance company. This step should be done before the scheduling of recovery works. Signature Water and Fire Restoration prepared several helpful tips for dealing with such a situation.

The Steps that Should be Done Before Filing a Claim

Unfortunately, it is a common issue when obtaining compensation from the insurance company becomes much more difficult than you can imagine. And here is a list of tips that may be helpful for homeowners in such situation:

• Be noticed that you can choose any water damage restoration company, not only the one your insurance company recommended. In does not mean that you shouldn’t choose a restoration company that your insurance company recommended, because mostly they are working with professionals. But in case you have a reason to prefer a different company, you can do it.
• Try to not use the word “flood” to describe the situation that happened, of course, if it is possible. Because most insurance policies do not cover such type of damage. So if you faced leak from the dishwasher, call it that.
• Try to minimize further water damage after the reason is fixed. You must do it because it mentioned in your insurance policy. Such actions may be helpful to do it: remove standing water that left, as well as damaged goods, dry up the affected area, and so on.
• Be careful because your property may become not safe after the flooding. Such types of danger for your or your family members’ health may be there: contaminated flooding water, damaged power lines, gas leaks, and so on.
• Make sure that you take good quality photos and videos of every damaged area and items. Also, it will be more than wise to perform an inventory of all of the items that have been lost or damaged because of water. Such evidence will be more than helpful in obtaining full compensation from your insurance company.
• You have a right to hire a private adjuster for a home audit after water damage. Of course, the insurance company will send its adjuster to your home also. But you need to be noticed, that the insurance adjuster may try to minimize the level of damage in his or her documents to save money for the company. In such a case, the private adjuster provides you with all of the evidence of the real level of damage to obtain full compensation.

In case you faced such an issue as water damage happened to your property in Illinois, call Signature Water and Fire Restoration and our specialists will help you to handle all the problems related to this situation, including help in communication with your insurance company. Here is our 24/7 phone number: 1-224-515-0100.