How to deal with water damage in house

Water damage is one of the most destructive and common emergencies you could face in your property.

Having a clear procedures plan in place to deal with water damage before it occurs will reduce critical response time and hopefully protect your property from further damage.

Safeguard your property from the get-go

Your insurance is of imperative importance and should be organised with highly experienced landlord insurers who can help you respond and rebuild if there are damage emergencies.

Whether you’re facing a HVAC leak, flood, broken roof, storm, broken pipes, damaged appliances or sewage backup, a water problem is a serious threat to your property’s safety and value. As a landlord, you’ll need to quickly respond to the issue to protect your asset and your tenants.

You’ll need to identify if the water damage is an emergency situation or an ongoing deep-rooted problem.

Different types of water damage

Here’s what to look out for if you’ve been called in by a tenant to assess water damage.

Signs of an unlying water issue

• Mould or mildew in corners or on patches on the walls
• Water-stained rings on walls
• Pappy or mushy consistency of materials around the property

Signs that you have an emergency water situation

• Dripping or flowing water
• Water coming out of electrical outlets or appliances
• Warping from either the walls or floorboards with droplets of water

How to save property from water damage

No matter if you have an emergency on your hands or water damage that has been ongoing, you’ll need to act fast to reduce any more damage.

Protect your possessions from further damage

Water can affect the safety of your property and the health of the tenants in it.

Damp contamination is highly common after any form of water has been exposed to goods and property. To protect yourself, take these steps

• Evacuate property if flooding is major and wait for authorities to arrive.
• Shut off the electricity
• Wear rubber gloves and soled shoes if reentering the property.
• Keep and store valuable items in a water-tight container/ encourage tenants to do the same.
• Priorities the recovery of valuable items such as important documents.

Prevent further water damage

Find the source of the problem as soon as you can before the damage starts compounding.

• Know where your shut-off valves are and close them
• If you’re aware of a storm or flood and are in a high-risk area, prepare your property and tenants with sandbags
• Seeking an expert’s advice if you start to see or smell any damp in your property. If addressed early on, you could save yourself thousands of pounds.
• Check if your property is at risk of flooding.

Who should I contact if I suspect water damage to my property?

If you’re a landlord, you’re going to want to have us at the end of the phone as a vital resource to your recovery plan for your property and possessions.

• Call us as soon as possible if the damage has been identified so we can guide you through the steps you’ll need to take.
• We’ll get a claims adjuster with you on-site to help you understand the cost of the damage.
• Take photos and videos of the damage as well as keep hold of any receipts.

Get a quote from us at CIA today and put your mind at rest if you start to see a water stain or two.

Drying out water-damaged possessions and property

Time is of the essence. You’ll want to start the drying process 24 hours after the initial damage has occurred. If you’re able to complete a thorough drying job in three to four days, you stand a good chance of eradicating mould and mildew forming.

• Remove all furniture from the property, starting with the contents that are nearest the flooded or damp area.
• Rugs, curtains and soft furnishings should be removed and dried out of the property
• Place aluminium foil between legs of furniture and wet carpet and to prevent water rings from appearing
• Set aircon to ‘on’ to reduce humidity
• Hire industrial fans to speed up the drying process

How to get rid of mould and mildew

You might consider yourself lucky, but you might only be facing mould and mildew removal rather than a full house dry-out.

• A non-toxic solution is to spray vinegar on the affected area.
• Try mixing vinegar in with water with a ratio of 2:1.
• Let it sit for an hour before wiping it away.
• The unpleasant smell can be masked with air fresheners once you have combated the mould.

To give yourself peace of mind in the unfortunate event of a flood or leak, take out Landlord Insurance and Landlord Contents Insurance from us at CIA Landlords. Our insurance policies are competitive so get a quote today or request a callback to speak to one of the team.