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What to Do Before a Water Damage Restoration Visit

A water damage restoration visit goes better when the house is ready for it. That does not mean the house has to be tidy, and it certainly does not mean you should try to do the restoration work yourself before the professional arrives. It means a clear route in, a clear description of what happened, and a few simple preparations that let the work start without delay.

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This guide covers what to do before a restoration visit: clearing access to the affected area, noting when the water started and where it came from, moving belongings away from the water if it is safe to do so, and what to leave alone. The guidance is general, and it is written for the hours between the first call and the arrival, when there is time to prepare but not time to fix anything.

Clear access to the affected area

Clear a path to the affected rooms, and clear space around the rooms themselves, so the professional can get in with equipment and move around without obstruction. That means moving cars out of the driveway if the equipment needs to come through the garage, clearing a hallway, and moving furniture that blocks a doorway. It does not mean moving heavy furniture through a wet room on your own, and it does not mean clearing a room that is unsafe to enter. If a room is flooded or the water may be contaminated, stay out of it and leave the clearing to the professional.

It also helps to clear access to the water shut-off and the electrical panel, if they are in dry rooms and safe to reach. The professional may need to shut the water off on arrival, and a clear route to the valve saves time. The same applies to the outside of the house: if the water came from outside, make sure the route from the street to the door is clear. A clear path in is the simplest preparation you can make, and it is the one that saves the most time on the day.

Note when the water started and where it came from

Write down when the water started, or when you first noticed it, and where you think it came from. Note whether the water is still coming in, whether it has spread to more than one room, and whether it smells of sewage or looks discoloured. Note anything you have already done, such as shutting off the water or moving belongings, and note whether any electrics are wet or any ceilings are sagging. A few lines on a piece of paper are enough, and they are easy to forget if you do not write them down.

That note is useful for the visit, because it gives the professional a clear picture of what happened before they start looking, and it is useful for any insurance claim, because the first hours of a loss are the hardest to reconstruct later. Take photos too, from the doorway, without stepping into standing water, and include a photo of the water line on the walls and the state of the floors. The photos and the note together give a fuller picture than either one alone.

What to Do Before a Water Damage Restoration Visit — California water damage restoration guide

Move belongings away from the water if safe

Move belongings away from the water where you can do so safely and without wading. Start with the things on the floor that soak up water fastest: rugs, boxes, books, shoes, and anything made of cardboard or untreated wood. Lift what you can onto tables, counters, or dry shelves, and carry smaller items to a dry room. Work from the edge of the water inward, and do not drag soaked items across dry floors, because that spreads the water further.

Do not try to move heavy furniture on your own through a wet room, and do not move anything electrical, even if it is switched off. If a ceiling below the water is sagging, do not stand under it. Take a quick note of what you moved and where it went, because that helps later when you are describing the loss. Some things are not worth the risk of moving, and a waterlogged sofa or a heavy bookcase should stay where it is until a professional has looked at the room.

What to leave alone

Leave the restoration work to the professional. Do not lift flooring, cut into walls, or open up ceilings to see how far the water has gone, because that is a job for someone with the right equipment and a way to check what is behind the surface. Do not use a household vacuum on standing water, and do not switch on fans or heaters in a room where water is near outlets or wiring. Do not try to clean up sewage or floodwater yourself, and do not use a household mop on water that may be contaminated.

Do not throw things away in a hurry either. Wet belongings, damaged flooring, and soaked plaster may be needed for an insurance claim, so keep them until you have been advised otherwise. If you can, note down what is damaged and where it is, because that record is useful for the visit and for the claim. Homeowners in San Jose and across California face the same preparations, because the work that follows is the same wherever the house stands.

What to have ready when they arrive

Have a few things ready for the visit: your note about when the water started and where it came from, the photos you took, the details of your insurance policy if you have one, and a list of any questions you want to ask. It helps to have a dry place to sit while the work starts, and a phone charger that is not in a wet room. If the household includes children or pets, arrange for them to be in a dry room away from the work.

Ask the professional what the visit will include when they arrive, and listen to the plan before the work starts. A water damage restoration visit starts with an inspection, and the inspection is what turns your notes and photos into a clear plan. The emergency water removal that follows is the first physical step, and it starts sooner when the house is ready for it.

Questions to ask when the professional arrives

When the professional arrives, it helps to have a few questions ready, because the first minutes of the visit set the shape of the whole job. Ask what the inspection will cover, and whether it will check behind walls and under floors as well as the rooms you can see. Ask what the plan is for removal and drying, and what will be checked as the drying goes on. Ask which materials may need to come out, and which can be dried in place. Ask what records you will receive, and when. These are plain questions, and the answers should be plain too.

It also helps to ask what happens after the visit, and what you should watch for in the days that follow. A damp patch, a smell, or a floor that feels soft underfoot are all things to report, and the company should tell you who to call and what to say. A visit that starts with a clear explanation of the plan, and ends with a clear explanation of the next steps, is a good visit, even if the news is that some materials cannot be saved. Knowing the plan is what lets you make sensible decisions about the house in the days that follow, and the questions you ask on arrival are what give you that plan.

Key Takeaways

Clear a path to the affected rooms, and clear space around the rooms themselves, so the professional can get in with equipment and move around without obstruction.
Write down when the water started, or when you first noticed it, and where you think it came from.
Move belongings away from the water where you can do so safely and without wading.
Leave the restoration work to the professional.
Have a few things ready for the visit: your note about when the water started and where it came from, the photos you took, the details of your insurance policy if you have one, and a list of any questions you want to ask.
When the professional arrives, it helps to have a few questions ready, because the first minutes of the visit set the shape of the whole job.

Your Next Step

If this guide matches what you found at home, the next step is a visit — not a guess. Call and describe what you found, and the visit is arranged from what you describe. The Water Damage Restoration page explains what that service covers, and the Water Damage Restoration page explains what that service covers, and the services hub lists every service in one place.

Do not use a household vacuum on standing water while you wait, and if water is still coming in, turn off the shut-off valve for that fixture where you can reach it safely.

Keep the guides on this site bookmarked: the first guide, the signs guide, and the preparation guide cover the checks worth repeating — after moving in, and after bringing used fixtures home.

Water damage help is available across California. See water damage restoration in Old Mountain View, CA for one local example, or find your town on the service areas page.