Water damage & homeowners claim?

Question

This is our first homeowners insurance claim. I hope the adjustor is honest?

Anyway - Our water level indicator went out on our washing machine. This caused the washing machine to keep filling with water & eventually went all over our floor. This caused massive water damage to our wall to wall carpet. We filed a claim on Tuesday & are patiently waiting for the claims adjuster to come to our home. I need tips on how to get the most out of our claim & hopefully get the wall to wall carpet & padding replaced. I have no clue what these things cost - so if he offers me a cash-out, I dont know if it will be enough?

Answer 1

I'm an estimator for a service master franchise specializing in water, mold, and fire damage.

If your carpet pad is wet, consider it garbage. If you have furniture stains on your carpet, its gone. If you have the same type of carpet throughout the house, but only one area affected, it is the insurance company's responsibilty to find a perfect match, which is nearly impossible, which works out for you. This means you get new carpet throughout However, the adjuster will cut a sample of the carpet and the carpet pad and send it to a lab to determine the value of it. Suppose your carpet had a shelf life of 10 years, you had it for 2 years, you took care of it, (no excessive staining, pet smells etc) then you would generally lose 20% of its value. Now is the perfect time for remodeling, you don't have to go with carpet, you can lay down tile, or laminate, and you will receive the value of your carpet and carpet pad as determined by a lab, the cost it take to install carpet etc, you would just be responsible the gap.
Your walls will probably be affected, and you should already have a professional water damage company drying your structure out. They will probably pull all affected baseboard, and apply a germicide IAQ on the carpet if it is salvageable. Depending on how much water there was, they might have to cut out some dry wall, if the walls are affected more the 24" high, or if drying goals are not being meant day by day. This could happen if you have drywall with foil backing, which is difficult dry, or plaster walls. If there is a smell in the house, request an air scrubber, as this will get your cash out up higher. The scrubber will cost the insurance company about 100/day. The dry out should be completed in 3 to 5 days max. You can request to stay at a hotel, but generally if you have an unaffected bedroom and bath room, you will be staying in the house. The dehumidifers and fans pull alot of energy, don't forget to ask for electricity reimbursement. The adjuster will probably ask for a recent electricity bill to compare. You can chose the company you want to complete the dryout regardless of what your insurance company says, after all it is your house and you are the boss.

good luck... Also ask the dry out company for documentation stating that your house is dry, and mold free. You will have to disclose this when you sell your house, so having this documentation would put to rest any worries a future buyer may have about mold. Oh and if your carpet is really old and the back is coming off, it is non-salvageable. However, if your carpet is pretty nasty, the adjuster may not replace it, because they are only required to return it to pre-loss condition.

Answer 2

This is very far ahead of what you are thinking right now, but take digital pictures now, and save them. Keep copies of everything. If you ever want to sell this house, the potential buyers will be able to look up in the CLUE database and see that you had a water damage claim and you want to be prepared for that. I definitely recommend getting an estimate separate from what the claims adjuster says.

Answer 3

First let me say, don't trust anyone! Having gotten that behind us, lets talk about whats next. Make sure your insurance company gives you a contact number and a time when the adjuster will come to your home. Next....keep accurate records of the entire event. Times it happened, times you called..appointments and everything can be helpful down the road if you need to push them harder.
Next keep in mind that adjusters adjust! What I mean is they get paid by how much money the DON'T pay YOU. How do you make sure he's not gonna low ball you and walk off with the balance of the repair cost that you paid for in your monthly premium? Get an estimate. Its fast, easy and you will be educated to the real facts.
Hope you get your home back together soon.
Good luck with the claim!

Answer 4

I might suggest you to try this internet site where you can get quotes from different companies: http://COVERAGEQUOTES.NET/index.html?src=5YAttzxiSQ321

RE :Water damage & homeowners claim?
This is our first homeowners insurance claim. I hope the adjustor is honest?

Anyway - Our water level indicator went out on our washing machine. This caused the washing machine to keep filling with water & eventually went all over our floor. This caused massive water damage to our wall to wall carpet. We filed a claim on Tuesday & are patiently waiting for the claims adjuster to come to our home. I need tips on how to get the most out of our claim & hopefully get the wall to wall carpet & padding replaced. I have no clue what these things cost - so if he offers me a cash-out, I dont know if it will be enough?
Follow 2 answers

Answer 5

The insurance guy will be able to tell you what you will need.
Contact a cleaning company and they can tell you as well just to make sure everyone is on the same page