In Queensland, storms and the associated water damage are an annual event. However, most property owners are unaware of the procedures in getting their water damage repaired quickly.
After a storm insurance companies are typically inundated with claims and it can be weeks or months until water damage is assessed, approved and repaired.
Rochele Painting has been repairing water damage for decades and has good working relationships with insurance companies and their loss assessors. We know the procedures that are required to get your water damage repaired hassle free.
Below are the steps you should take immediately after you notice water damage or mould to your property.
Step 1 – Contact your insurer
The first step is to inform your insurance company that you have water damage. At this time you should ask if you are covered and confirm what your excess may be.
The cause of the damage may effect whether your policy covers you or not. We have seen a number of customers who were told they aren’t covered for their damage but when they did some research themselves into the cause of the damage their insurance company accepted their claim.
This is particularly common with leaking roofs. A licensed roofer will be able to provide a report for you if you require a professional opinion to the cause of your water damage.
Step 2 – Lodge a claim
When in contact with your insurer, lodge your claim with them. If the damage is on a large scale they will most likely want one of their assessors to inspect your property. Remember you should still have the choice of repairer but for large damage you may be required to get two quotes.
However, the majority of times you will not need your damage assessed and will only need to get a claim number over the phone so that you can proceed with organising a quote to repair the damage.
Step 3 – Get quotes
The main point to make here is to get quotes quickly and make sure the roofer, plasterer and painter are licensed and reputable. If you select the wrong tradesperson for repair and the result is poor, then your contract is with the repairer not the insurance company.
Also quotes should be free and you should be able to book a quote within a week.
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When quoting tell the repairer to include the claim number provided by your insurer on the quote for quicker processing.
Under a certain value, most insurers will only require one quote so it’s worth choosing the most professional repairers.
Step 4 – submit your quotes
Once you have received your quotes submit them to your insurance company and wait for acceptance.
You should be prioritised by the level of damage you received, however in our experience the customers who demand service, get their claims processed quickest.
Also remember the quicker you submit the quotes the quicker they can be processed.
Step 5 – Book in repairs
Once you have been issued approval for the quotes the insurance company will either send you a cheque for the value of repair or send you formal approval.
Either way the quicker you book in your trades the quicker your water damage will be repaired.
Communicate the start and end dates with each trade so when the roofer finishes the plasterer can start and when the plasterer finishes the painter can start.
Rochele Painting incorporates both plastering and painting so this should take the stress out of the whole situation.
Top 5 water damage repair tips
- Find out the cause so you know whether you are covered and so you can get it fixed ASAP.
- Take it upon yourself to organise the repair process. If you rely on your insurance company you could be waiting months.
- Remember priority service is given to those who demand it. Communicate the importance of your claim being processed quickly.
- Don’t get quotes in order of repair it will only slow the whole process down. For example don’t wait for the roof to get fixed before you get your painting quote. Get all your quotes ASAP after the water damage.
- Request timeframes at the time of obtaining quotes. There is no use choosing a roofer, plasterer or painter who can’t start for a month or two.
CLICK HERE to read about the water damage repair service Rochele Painting provides, including plaster repair.
