Water damage claim in Beaverton, Oregon

Water damage tops the list as one of the many insurance claims related to homes in many areas. The International Organization of Standards (ISO) ranked water damage as the second-largest insurance claim. Indeed, water damage claims have been on a steady increase over the years. This could be why people have become naturally curious about matters revolving around water damages, particularly what the insurer will include in their homeowner’s coverage.
The issue with floods is that they can be quite severe. They can damage your home to a great extent and can occur due to fire damage or natural disasters. Depending on the fire damage or natural disaster, your house may still stand. If it stands, it may require quite a bit of repair. You may have to deal with fire damage restoration, mold remediation, and other emergency services. These other services may range from smoke damage restoration services, water damage restoration services, and similar services for residential and commercial clients.
Of course, these situations will require cleaning services, carpet cleaning, repair services, mold removal, and more by restoration professionals.
As such, it is very important to pay attention to as homeowners need to know what is covered and what they would have to account for in their lives. Sure, many issues can arise when it comes to your home, and preparing for potential issues can help you sleep well at night.
Here is what you need to know about water damage claims-related aspects like flood damage, broken pipes, and other matters related to the restoration process.

The Difference Between Water Damage and Flood Damage

Knowing the difference between flood damage and water damage helps you understand how to navigate the situation when a disaster comes knocking.
You will want to know the different aspects of this situation because you would have to approach your insurance company for assistance.
Remember that water damage will be covered by your insurer while flood damage will not. This is due to a variety of reasons, but the primary point revolves around risk. Flood damage claims can be an issue because of the severity of the claim. Further, flood damage claims can occur with frequency in certain areas and can affect a whole host of communities.
As such, insurance companies will not want to take on that level of risk and find themselves paying out more than they take in with premiums. This shows the importance of knowing whether your insurer will cover all or part of water damages in your claim.

Here is a list of cases that qualify under the classification of water damage:

• Leaking appliances
• Problems caused by a leaky roof
• Overflows
• Storm-related water damages covered by the insurer

Conversely, here’s the list of water damage issues that may not be included in a standard homeowner’s insurance coverage:

• Flood damage
• Gradual damages that may be caused by your inability to instill regular maintenance practices like a leaking toilet or plumbing pipes
• Any form of sump-pump backup, sewer backup, and septic backup

In essence, most of the water damage issues not covered by a homeowners insurance policy are gradual in nature. Therefore, there is a strong potential that your claim may not be considered even if your policy covers water damage.

The critical point here is that the cause should be sudden, out of your control, and not due to lack of maintenance. Further, it should be due to a flood.

When will an Insurance Company Cover Gradual Water Damage?
There are instances (special occasions) where insurance companies take the initiative of catering to a gradual damage claim. However, whether or not the insurer will provide coverage dramatically depends on the verbiage of the policy or insurance contract. It would be a great idea to get in touch with your broker or insurance advisor to review the exclusions touching the types of coverage you are entitled to.

How To Avoid Being Denied Your Water Damage Claim?
It is very easy to be denied a water damage claim. However, you need to be conscious to minimize the chances of denial. Proper guidance and knowledge about your homeowner’s policy details can come in handy when you want to file a water damage claim.
Here’s how to avoid getting your water damage claim denied:

•  Do a few thorough checks before purchasing the homeowner’s insurance policy-
• Ensure that you’re purchasing your coverage from a reputable company and ask about the extra aspects you can add
•  Have a record of the repairs made and the people you’ve employed to do the maintenance operations over the years. This will help you prove that you weren’t negligent with your maintenance mandates.
• On that note, be regular and proper with your maintenance practices.
• Be diligent, read through the contract, and understand your duties as the homeowner, what it covers and what will be excluded

You will notice that the tips on how to avoid being denied your water damage claim revolves around ensuring that you do your part. It revolves around you doing your part to read the contract, have a conversation with your insurance company or insurance representative, and conduct the right maintenance to minimize the loss of coverage due to a lapse in responsibilities.
Remember that fire damage restoration, mold removal, flood cleanup professionals are there to help in various situations. You can reach out to mold removal, water extraction, and structural repairs experts for your restoration project and move forward with property restoration.

How to Maximize a Water Damage Claim
You never know the worth of your homeowner’s coverage until your ceiling starts dripping or your plumbing system starts causing havoc. It is here where you will lean into that belief that you’ll get things settled when you file the claim with your insurer, right? Well, this is at times partly true. Your insurer is in business and will try to lower the amount paid if they can.
But if you have conducted all of the necessary steps, have taken the right precautions, implement maintenance, and have a covered claim, then you will most likely be able to move forward with your claim.
Nonetheless, you can maximize your claim by adopting these steps:

•   Put the damage under control- Do the best you can to limit the damage. Ensure that the damage is as small as possible. Reach out to a qualified professional as soon as you can. However, be diligent and refrain from signing any repair contracts until the insurer has processed the claim.
•  Document the damage- Document the parts of the house that have been damaged. Take photos that will provide an overall view of the damage. Video evidence and a written list will also help.
• Report the water damage to your insurer- This is obviously one of the essential steps whenever you’re faced with a water damage issue. Reporting should be done immediately. Here, you’ll be giving them a notice of the loss. Just call to let them know that you suffered a loss. Otherwise, the insurance company may deny you the claim for not giving them prompt notice. Make a claim even when you’re unsure that the insurer will cover it.
• Get the services of an insurance claim lawyer/ public adjuster- It is a great idea to hire a professional adjuster if you have suffered a substantial amount of loss to handle the issue on your behalf. While the insurance company adjuster aims to lower the company’s payout, the adjuster will be fair.
•  Don’t use the vendors from the insurance company- The insurer may suggest using its vendors, but it may be best to do your research. This allows you to choose an unbiased and competent third party that can solve your situation.

Reach Out To Us At Portland Water Damage Restoration Services
​We are a top-rated water damage restoration service in Beaverton Oregon and have experience in mold remediation services and restoration services. Our professionals deal with a wide variety of services relating to mold remediation, damage restoration, and carpet cleaning for residential and commercial properties. Whether you have had a washing machine break down or have mold damage due to a flood incident, reach out to us for a free estimate on your restoration project.
If you are looking for a free estimate and assessment of your restoration project in Oregon due to plumbing leaks, interior flooding, basement flooding, and aspects such as mold growth, reach out to us today. We are a locally owned service provider that would be pleased to offer our help to resolve the aftermath of your sudden burst pipes situation or other emergency situations.
Our professionals have the training, the advanced equipment, and the years of restoration work to serve customers to the best of their ability. They will work through the affected areas and get to work as quickly as possible.
Contact us at Portland Water Damage Restoration today for quality work and property damage restoration.