When a homeowner experiences a water loss it can be very traumatic due to their home being in many cases their most expensive possession and they have a lot of emotions tied up in it and their personal belongings. Water damage is di􀀁erent than fire & smoke damage in that most people will pick up the phone and call 911 when they have a fire and ask for help, which starts the emergency response quickly, followed by restoration contractors to help clean-up and repair the damage. In contrast, water damage is many times not seen as urgent and damaging, so many homeowners try to vacuum or mop up the water themselves and place a fan on the wet area, not realizing that water can seep under and behind materials where it can’t be reached with shop vacs, towels, or mops, or even airflow from fans. Then days or weeks later they smell musty odors and realize they need professional help.

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To add to that unfortunate situation, you have many types of sources of water damage that can be hidden from view and go unnoticed for days before discovery, such as refrigerator ice maker line leaks, supply and drain line leaks under kitchen sinks and bathroom vanities, shower pan leaks, toilet seal leaks, A/C condensation line leaks, clothes washer, and hot water heater leaks, etc. So, when the water damage is finally discovered it is at the point where much more demolition and drying must occur, as well as a long painful rebuilding process.

Everyone agrees that the longer the water is left in contact with building materials the more costly and destructive the loss becomes, and the policyholder experience deteriorates by causing more damage and potentially even mold, bacteria, and viruses, which can cause health issues. Rapid response by qualified professionals is critical to minimize damage and potential health concerns. Minutes count!

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Here is the good news! Today’s water mitigation technology is the best it has ever been, and we have a good set of American National Standards Institute (ANSI) approved standards, called the Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC) S500-2021. This means if we prequalify the contractors to ensure the ones that are dispatched to the loss location are IICRC certified in water damage restoration and can utilize today’s drying technology they will be able to get the homeowner back to normal as quickly as possible with the least amount of demolition and disruption.  The key is having a network of prequalified, certified professionals ready to help and then actively managing them to ensure the process is documented properly to protect all materially interested parties.

Accuserve has invested heavily in educating our internal water mitigation specialists and our prequalified contractor network so that we can quickly identify the best, most qualified professionals in every zip code. Each contractor must go through a very rigorous registration process, including thorough background checks, insurance validation, certifications of their technicians, and overall capability of utilizing today’s drying technology. They receive a score on every claim referral that reflects their capability, performance, and customer service, so they only receive more referrals if they perform at the highest level. This network is open to all franchises and independent contractors and there is no fee to join so it represents a fair playing field where contractors compete for the policyholder’s business. If the policyholder chooses to use our network of contractors, they not only get access to this group of highly qualified professionals, but we also warrant their work, in addition to the individual company’s warranty. It is important that the policyholder understands the importance of submitting their claim quickly and that there is a group of prequalified professionals ready to help!

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Remember – The focus should be on
“restoring” the property rather than removing & replacing materials. The IICRC S500-2021 Standard calls water damage mitigation contractors’ “restorers” for this very reason.

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Always ask for the restorer's drying logs that they should be able to provide to ALL materially interested par􀀁es to prove they le􀀂 wet materials at an acceptable moisture level that will inhibit the growth of mold.

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