Picture the scene you return from work or even worse from vacation to find that whist you were away from your home a pipe has burst somewhere in the home and water has spread throughout. Your carpets are wet, furniture damp and wallpaper beginning to fall off the walls.
No this isn’t the opening scene from a horror movie this is the very real reality that every homeowner unfortunately will experience at one point in their life. And while this is a major inconvenience if treated properly and punctually then you can prevent it from becoming a full-scale disaster.
Water damage is so much more than a wet floor water if allowed to sit and soak into surfaces is a breeding ground for bacteria which typically results in mold growth. Mold and humans aren’t supposed to mix mold releases spores into the air and if inhaled by us it can irritate our airways and cause breathing problems. In short, the longer the water is allowed to cause damage in your property the worse the damage will be.
So how do you find a water damage repair company to fix this problem as soon as possible well sit back relax and read this article as I will guide you through my top tips for homeowners in the event of a leak.
Search
You will begin your search on the internet where most searches these days begin. It is very important to search for “water damage company near me” and not just “water damage company”. By searching for “water damage company near me” you are asking the search to return the results by proximity to your location … the closer the better.
Once you have your “water damage company near me” search results you will want to narrow the results down to between two and four options. Yes, time is of the essence here, but you also want to make sure you get a professional water damage repair company to carry out the work correctly if not the damage will return, and you will be forced to have them come again which ultimately keeps adding up in cost.
By having around 4 companies to choose from you can compare and contrast their services, cost and response time and choose the one that will work the best for you and your family.
To narrow the results down look at the customer satisfaction scores next to each company in the internet age almost every company will have reviews from customers past and present and this will give you an indication as to how professional the company is.
Secondly look at the response time this will typically be found on their website typically most companies locally will offer a guarantee such as being at the property within one hour etc.
This is a good sign as they are confident in their ability and are aware of how urgent the issue is.
Contact
Now you have your choices of companies it is time to call them and see how soon they can get to the property. Point to note get a time commitment from each company before choosing one to go with as you will be surprised how much the response times can differ.
When talking to them on the phone try to give them as much information regarding what has happened as possible as this will allow them to get an idea of how bad the water damage is and also what equipment they may have to bring with them to complete the repairs. If possible, I usually ask for an email address take pictures of the damaged areas and send them to them as this will allow them to see and assess the damage for themselves.
Visit
Once you make your choice and choose a company, they will visit the property to assess the extent of the damage and begin the treatment process. Depending on the extent of the damage they may have to remove things from the property, and you may also have to relocate for a few days until they can treat the property effectively. Although this is an unwanted inconvenience sometimes it is necessary in order for them to do their jobs correctly.
They will then provide a total cost to you and provide you with a projected finish date for the work to be completed in addition they will normally offer a service plan so that should this ever happen again they will cover it for a fraction of the cost this is something I always recommend taking.