Before anything is thrown out after a flood, photograph the water line, the entry, the damaged items and the rooms, and keep a written list with dates. Your insurer decides what the policy covers. The Washington Office of the Insurance Commissioner handles consumer complaints about how a claim is handled.
Key takeaways
- Photographs of the water line, the entry point and every damaged item are the core of a claim record, and they should be taken before anything is moved.
- Keep damaged items until the insurer has seen them, unless they are a health hazard or the insurer has agreed they can be discarded.
- A dated list of damaged items, with the age and the approximate value of each, helps the insurer review the claim.
- The insurer and the policy decide coverage, and generally treat outside water and flooding differently from sudden water inside the home.
- Complaints about how a claim is handled go to the Washington Office of the Insurance Commissioner, through its Consumer Complaint Center.
What should be photographed first?
Photograph the water line on each wall, the entry point, the lowest part of the room and every damaged item in place. Take wide shots of each room and close shots of the damage, and include a measuring tape where possible.
The water line is the single most useful photograph, because it shows how high the water reached. Take it before anything is moved, and photograph the same wall again after cleanup so the change is on record.
Photograph the entry point, such as the door, the garage threshold or the window well, and any standing water near electrical equipment. Note the time and the date on each photograph, or keep them in a dated album on your phone.
What should I keep, and what can be thrown out?
Keep damaged items until the insurer has seen them, unless they are a health hazard. If you must remove something for safety, photograph it first, bag it, label it and keep a list of what was removed.
Carpet pad, insulation and soaked cardboard are often removed during cleanup, and the insurer may want to see them before they are discarded. Ask the insurer what it needs before you dispose of anything of value.
Keep receipts, warranty cards, appliance serial numbers and any photographs of the items in their normal condition. Those records help establish what an item was and what it cost, even when the item itself is gone.
How do I list the damaged items?
List each damaged item, its location, its approximate age, its condition before the water and its approximate value. A simple list with dates is enough to start, and it can be refined with receipts and photographs.
Group the list by room. A room-by-room list is easier for the insurer to check, and it shows whether the damage is confined to the basement or runs into the living space above.
Write the list the first week, while the details are fresh. Add to it as the drying progresses and as more damage is found behind walls or under floors. A list that is updated with dates is more credible than one written all at once from memory.
What does the crew's record add to the claim?
The crew's record gives the insurer the water line, the readings, the removals and the drying log. It is an independent account of what the crew saw, written at the time, and it helps the review start from the same facts.
Ask the crew for the written record before the work is finished. The record should include the water line on each wall, the moisture readings at the points that were measured, the materials removed and the photographs taken.
The record does not decide the claim, and the crew does not decide coverage. It supports your own photographs and your list, and it gives the insurer a clear account to compare with its own adjuster's findings.
What do policies generally cover, and what do they generally leave out?
Policies generally respond differently to sudden water from inside the home than to outside water and flooding, and they generally address mold and some water sources with specific terms. The policy decides what applies to your loss, and the insurer applies those terms.
A standard homeowner policy is written around the perils it names. Outside water and flooding are often treated under different terms from a pipe that bursts inside the house, and some policies add endorsements for flood or for water backup.
This page does not state coverage limits, deductibles, deadlines or waiver rules, because those are set by the policy and the insurer. Read your policy, and ask the insurer to explain in writing which terms apply to the water in your house.
How should I talk to the insurer about the claim?
Report the loss promptly, describe what you saw and when, and give the insurer the photographs, the list and the crew's record. Keep a log of every call and email, with the date, the person you spoke to and what was said.
Be factual and specific. Say when the water was first seen, where it came from as far as you know and what has been done since. Avoid guessing about causes you did not see.
Ask the insurer to confirm in writing what it needs from you and when it will respond. A written request is easier to follow than a verbal one, and it gives you a record if the process stalls.
What if I disagree with how the claim is handled?
Ask the insurer to explain its decision in writing, and ask what evidence it relied on. If the answer does not resolve the problem, the Washington Office of the Insurance Commissioner handles consumer complaints about how a claim is handled.
A complaint is most effective when it is specific. Include the claim number, the dates, the documents you sent and the decision you disagree with. Keep copies of everything you send.
The Consumer Complaint Center at the Washington Office of the Insurance Commissioner takes complaints about insurers and how they handle claims. The office does not decide the claim on your behalf, but it can ask the insurer to respond to the complaint.
What should I expect when the insurer sends an adjuster?
An adjuster generally inspects the damage, takes its own photographs and measurements, and compares what it sees with your list and the crew's record. Be present if you can, point out the water line and the entry, and ask the adjuster to explain what it is recording.
Have your photographs, your list and the crew's record ready to share. Walk the adjuster through the house in the order the water moved, starting at the entry, so that the account matches the physical evidence.
Ask the adjuster for its estimate or its written findings, and for the reasons behind any item it does not accept. The written reasons are the basis for any later review, including a complaint to the Washington Office of the Insurance Commissioner.
How do I build a timeline of the event?
A timeline lists the date and time you first saw water, each step taken since, every call to the line, every visit by the crew, every call to the insurer and every change to the house. A simple dated list is enough, and it can be updated as the claim moves forward.
Record who you spoke to, the date, what was said and any reference number. Keep emails and text messages in a folder with the timeline, and note any promise made about when something would happen.
A timeline makes gaps visible. If a step was delayed, the record shows when it was delayed and by whom, and that is the information needed to ask the insurer or the crew to explain it.
What about the lower level and the finishes?
Lower-level finishes such as carpet, drywall, trim, paint and stored furniture are often part of the claim review. Photograph each finish before it is removed, and note the age and the approximate cost of the finish if you know it.
A finish that was removed because the readings showed moisture should be recorded with the reading that justified the removal. That link between the reading and the removal is what makes the decision easy for an adjuster to follow.
Keep samples or pieces of removed materials if the insurer asks, and do not repair or replace a finished area until the insurer has agreed the scope of the work. Replacement is a separate step for a contractor you choose.
Frequently asked questions
What is the most important photograph after a flood?
The water line on the walls, taken before anything is moved, with a measuring tape in the frame if you can. It shows how high the water reached, which is one of the first things an insurer and a contractor will ask.
Can I throw out the carpet before the insurer sees it?
Ask the insurer first. If the carpet is a health hazard, it can be removed, but photograph it, bag it and label it, and keep a note of what was removed and why.
Who decides what my policy covers?
Your insurer applies the terms of your policy to the loss. Read the policy and ask the insurer to explain in writing which terms apply to the water in your home.
Who do I complain to about a claim in Washington?
The Washington Office of the Insurance Commissioner handles consumer complaints about insurance claims, through its Consumer Complaint Center. Send the claim number, the dates and copies of your documents.
Does the cleanup company decide the claim?
No. The cleanup crew records the water, the readings and the removals and gives you the record. The insurer decides the claim under the policy.
What if the insurer asks for the damaged items after I have thrown them out?
Tell the insurer what you discarded, when and why, and give it the photographs and the list. Keep any receipts or serial numbers you have. A clear account with records is far better than silence, and the insurer can say what evidence it still needs.
Do I need a lawyer to make a claim?
This page does not give legal advice. Most claims are handled by the homeowner and the insurer with good records. If a claim is denied or stalls, a qualified attorney can explain your options, and the Washington Office of the Insurance Commissioner can take a complaint at no cost.
Sources
This guide is general information for Spokane County homeowners, not a substitute for an on-site inspection. Prices are estimates. See our disclaimer.