If you have renter's insurance and your upstairs neighbor's bathtub overflowed while you were out of town and water seeped through your apartment ceiling and has saturated portions of your home's carpeting and belongings, the following tips will help you acquire assistance with salvaging your possessions and receiving compensation to have repairs made.
Contact an Insurance Adjuster and Your Landlord Immediately
Contact the insurance company that you have acquired a rental insurance policy through and briefly state the condition that your apartment is in and inquire about meeting with an insurance adjuster as soon as possible. Call your landlord to make them aware of the flooding in your home, as well. Once an adjuster comes out to your home, they will take photographs of the damage and will ask you questions pertaining to the owner of your apartment, the cause of the accident, and the day and time that the incident occurred.
During the meeting, relay as much information as you can to the adjuster and find out how long you may need to wait to receive assistance with repairs. If you are not going to be able to stay at your apartment prior to repairs being made, find out how if emergency funding is available to assist with covering a hotel stay or traveling expenses.
Document Details Concerning the Crisis
While an insurance adjuster is still at your home, consider taking photographs of the damaged items inside of your home so that you can refer to them at a later date if necessary. You may be asked to determine the value of specific items that have been damaged, so having pictures to help refresh your memory of the possessions that were affected can be helpful if you are not going to be staying in your apartment for several weeks and are asked about specific items while they are not within your view.
Write down a brief summary of the appearance of your apartment's interior when you first witnessed the damage to keep the details fresh in your mind in case you are interrogated at a future date.
Stay in Contact With an Adjuster and Keep Track of Out of Pocket Expenses​
Keep the insurance adjuster's contact number with you at all times and call them if you can think of any details that were not initially discussed with them during your visit. Also, do not hesitate to call the adjuster to check on the status of your case and to find out how long it will take to restore your home to a habitable condition. If you have any out of pocket expenses, due to the flooding in your apartment, collect receipts and turn them in to the adjuster at your earliest convenience.
Contact a company like Great Lakes Public Adjusting if you have questions about insurance claims and property damage.
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