How To Prepare for a Home Insurance Adjuster's Visit After a Flood
After your Bentonville, AR home sustains water damage, you need to file an insurance claim. Your insurer can cover the costs of repairs and emergency restoration services.
First, a home adjuster will come to your property and survey the damage. To ensure that you get the most out of this visit, you should do the following before the adjuster comes.
1. Make Reasonable Repairs
Depending on the extent of the flood, you may need to take some immediate steps to mitigate the damage. For instance, you might have to remove excess water or cover any holes in the walls and roof.
You may also want to bring in a contractor to perform some temporary repairs. Avoid contractors who make low bids and ask for large down payments. Their work may be low quality. You should also save any extensive reconstruction for after the adjuster's visit.
2. Keep Your Receipts
The home adjuster will need to see proof of costs you already incurred. If you do hire a contractor before the adjuster arrives, you should thus save your receipts.
You may have to find temporary housing or stay in a hotel until the repairs are completed. This could force you to spend extra money on rent, food and other necessities. Make a list of these living expenses and show it to the adjuster.
3. Identify the Damage
The adjuster will also want to know the exact amount of damage to your property. Once it is safe to enter your home, make an inventory of everything that was harmed. Do not throw out any items until the adjuster has arrived.
You should also look for any structural deficits caused by the flood, such as missing tiles or cracked walls. Consider recording or photographing the destruction and showing the footage to the home adjuster.
By properly preparing for an adjuster's visit, you can expedite the insurance claims process. This will quickly give you the money that you need to get your home back to normal. NWA Restore It, Inc. is here to help make the restoration process as simple as possible. We work directly with your insurance to ensure a stress-free process on the homeowners' end.
Our team follows the water restoration process to get your property back to pre-loss conditions quickly and efficiently.
Below are the main steps that will take to make that happen.
1. Water Extraction
The storm restoration starts with getting the excess water out. The faster that is done, the less likely secondary damage, such as mold growth, will occur. Industrial-grade water pumps and dehumidifiers will be used to extract standing water and reduce indoor humidity levels.
2. Wet Material Removal
Depending on the damage, some components of the home may need to be removed. The crew will tear out damaged materials that can't be repaired and have the potential to spread contaminants, such as drywall and carpeting.
3. Dry Time
Even after the water is gone, time is still needed to ensure everything is completely dry. Oftentimes, there is hidden moisture behind the walls or under carpets. Although it can be a lengthy process, leaving any moisture unchecked could result in other damage. Your restoration team will ensure moisture levels are rebalanced and use special equipment to help speed up the dry time.
4. Restoration
The last step is restoration. Along with replacing any materials that were necessary to tear out, the professionals will also clean and sanitize to eliminate lingering odors and mold from growing. In some cases, items will need to be moved off-site for special cleaning methods include dry, wet, abrasion, foam and immersive cleaning.
Dealing with any kind of damage in the home can be overwhelming and frustrating. Call NWA Restore It, Inc. at the first signs of water loss to minimize cost and help lower the risks of secondary damages.