With a little forethought and 15 minutes of effort, you can clear up a lot of questions about your water-damage insurance claim before they occur.

All you need is your smart phone and a little spare time. Then, if you have a water-damage insurance claim, you’ll be on solid ground when you begin to assess the damage of a flood, broken pipe or sewer emergency.

Take your phone and put it on the video mode. Enter your home through the front door and video the first room as you come in. Slowly pan the camera through the room and show the way the room looks and the contents therein.

For example, in the living room, show all the furniture, show the drapes, show the rugs, document the tables and chairs, and be sure to focus in on heirlooms and valuable keepsakes.

Go through the rest of the house and do the same thing – the kitchen, the bathrooms, the bedrooms, the laundry room – don’t miss a space. And be sure to take your time. You want to document every part of the house and show all possessions – regardless of their value.

Unless you live in a mansion, this should not take very long.

Then, when you’ve finished with the video, change the camera setting to photos. You’ll then repeat the same process, only this time snapping photos. You can focus in to show details of furniture or labels that detail the value of high-priced items. Don’t miss a thing.

If you own a business or a multi-family dwelling, you should follow the same steps. It may take longer, but it’s well worth the effort.

When you’ve finished, create a folder in your phone and move all the video and the photos into that folder. Label it something that you won’t accidentally delete – “My home inventory” for example.

If you don’t want it eating up the memory in your phone, you can move it to your computer or to an external hard drive. You might have a personal Dropbox or Google storage account. Just make sure it’s somewhere safe that isn’t going to be erased or deleted.

Hopefully you’ll never need to see those videos or photos again. However, if a disaster strikes and you’re filing an insurance claim, those photos can serve as valuable evidence about your contents and condition of your home.

It will be simple to show the before and after condition of your home or business. And since the smart phones leave a time stamp on them, you’ll have proof of ownership and be able to rebuff any claims the insurance company may try to deny.

First In Restoration recommends you do this once a year, because your possessions will change. You’ll acquire new things, purchase new furniture, buy a new computer or cell phone, paint or re-tile the kitchen. You can just add those items to you proof or re-do the entire video.

Just do it. Hopefully you’ll never have to make a water-damage insurance claim, but if you do, the video and photographic proof will help ensure you get the proper settlement that you’re due.

If water damage affects your home or business, contact First In Restoration as soon as possible. Our team provides 24/7 emergency response, professional water extraction, drying, moisture documentation, and restoration services to help protect your property and support the insurance claim process.

Call 678-483-7284 or visit www.firstinrestoration.com.

If the weatherman is predicting heavy rains – or even a tropical storm – in your area, you know there’s a good chance that you’ll be dealing with cleanup issues. But there are steps you can take to mitigate the amount of damage incurred. In fact, with the proper preventative measures, you might avoid it altogether.

So what are some smart steps to take to help prevent water damage in case of an impending storm? Here are a few ideas that could possibly save you some time – and money.

Make sure your gutters and downspouts are clear. By removing the debis (leaves, old Frisbees, pizza boxes for Breaking Bad afficionados) you can make sure the water flows. Then, make sure the downspouts extend away from the house so the water will be dispersed in the appropriate places.
Take a look at the roof and make sure there are no missing shingles. If you see edges that are lifted up, take time to nail them down or repair them. Double-check the flashing around the chimney and the ventilation fans to make sure they’re in good condition and have the appropriate seal.

Make sure the soil is sloped away from the foundation. In extreme cases you might want to consider grabbing some sandbags.

Since you want to prevent the water from sneaking into the house, close and lock everything – a locked door has a tighter seal. If you have older windows, consider using a plastic sheet and painter’s tape to secure them.

Don’t forget the garage. If your driveway slopes down, put sandbags at the entrance. And, just to be sure, get everything off the floor. You could use a rack or an old wooden pallet, the kind that businesses will just throw away.

Don’t forget to have extra buckets and tarps ready – along with plenty of towels. (Keep that wet vac handy, too, just in case you need it.)

Once the storm is over, take a quick inventory of any damage. You’ll want to check the roof for possible leaks and you’ll want to dispose of any wet material as soon as possible – because failure to do so can lead to mold. Start running fans and dehumidifiers as soon as possible to dry things out.

Hopefully you’ll avoid damage from Mother Nature’s latest incident, but if you have storm or water damage, the next step should be to reach out to a trained water mitigation specialist. Make that call first and the trained technician can help examine the damage and help walk you through the process of filing an insurance claim. That could help you get the most possible money from your insurance claim.

If your home or business has storm or water damage, call First In Restoration first. Our trained team can assess the damage, help dry out the affected areas, document the restoration process, and guide you through the next steps.

Call First In Restoration today: (678) 483-7284