Built from 60,505 Google reviews across 684 restoration firms in 21 US metros

Placement is not for sale·Call crews direct

Home / Guides / Water damage guides

Free homeowner guides

Water damage guides

Plain-English guides to water damage insurance, restoration and hiring — written from 60,505 Google reviews across 684 restoration firms in 21 US metros plus the standards restoration crews actually work to.

Short answer

Start with Does insurance cover water damage? if you're mid-claim, or How to choose a restoration company if you're about to hire.

Insurance

What's covered, what isn't, and how to get a claim paid without a fight.

Insurance Does homeowners insurance cover water damage? Most water damage is covered. The exceptions are narrow, predictable, and responsible for nearly every denied claim — and they come down to one distin… Read the guide → Insurance Water damage vs flood damage These sound like the same thing. In insurance they are opposites — one is covered by your homeowners policy, the other is excluded from every homeowne… Read the guide → Insurance How to file a water damage insurance claim The claim is won or lost in the first 48 hours — mostly in what you photograph before you touch anything, and in how fast you start drying.… Read the guide → Insurance Does insurance cover mold remediation? Mold coverage is the most conditional part of a homeowners policy. It usually depends on two questions — and even when the answer is yes, the amount i… Read the guide →

Restoration & mold

What actually happens on a job, how long it takes, and why response speed decides the outcome.

Restoration Water damage categories 1, 2 and 3 Restoration crews classify every loss by how contaminated the water is. That single classification drives what can be dried and saved, what must be th… Read the guide → Restoration Mold after water damage Mold is not a separate disaster that happens later. It is the predictable second phase of a water loss that wasn't dried fast enough — and the window … Read the guide → Restoration How long does water damage restoration take? Drying is usually days. Rebuilding is usually weeks. Confusing the two is why homeowners think a job has stalled when it's actually on schedule.… Read the guide →

Hiring

How to vet a crew — built from what 60,505 homeowner reviews actually say.

Hiring How to choose a restoration company We analysed 60,505 Google reviews across 684 restoration firms in 21 US metros to find what separates the crews homeowners praise from the ones they w… Read the guide →

Fire & smoke

Fire is three overlapping problems at once — smoke, water and contents. These cover all three.

EmergencyWhat to do after a house fireThe first 72 hours: re-entry, board-up, why not to run the HVAC, and the living expenses most people never claim.Read the guide →RestorationSmoke and soot damage cleanupSoot is acidic and keeps damaging things after the fire is out. The four residue types, and why odour is a separate job.Read the guide →InsuranceDoes insurance cover fire damage?Yes — the fights are about valuation and scope. ACV vs replacement cost is usually the biggest number.Read the guide →

Where water actually shows up

The three situations our review data says generate the most calls.

Below gradeBasement flooding: what to doFour causes that look identical once the floor is wet — and only one of them is covered by default.Read the guide →Category 3Sewage backup cleanupWhat has to be thrown away, what can be saved, and why your policy probably excludes it.Read the guide →DiagnosisWater stain on the ceilingRoof, plumbing or condensation? The answer decides the repair and whether insurance pays.Read the guide →

Emergencies & seasonal

What to do in the moment — the two situations that generate the most emergency calls.

WinterFrozen pipes: what to do right nowOpen the faucet first, thaw from the tap end back, and never use a flame — plus what to do if it has already burst.Read the guide →Storm seasonAfter the hurricane: first stepsWhat you photograph in the first hour decides which policy pays — wind damage or flood.Read the guide →

Certification

How to tell a trained crew from a confident one.

HiringCertified water damage restorationWhat IICRC certification actually means, how it differs from state licensing, and how to verify it in two minutes.Read the guide →

State-by-state insurance guides

Claim deadlines, mold licensing and the exclusions that catch homeowners vary by state. These cover the 13 states we serve.

TexasGuide →FloridaGuide →North CarolinaGuide →TennesseeGuide →MissouriGuide →OhioGuide →ColoradoGuide →NevadaGuide →GeorgiaGuide →ArizonaGuide →OklahomaGuide →AlabamaGuide →LouisianaGuide →

Keep reading

Find a crew in your city

21 metros, ranked on real reviews

Free claim checklist

Print the emergency steps

Get listed / advertise

For restoration contractors

Need a crew now?

Compare independently-ranked restoration companies in 21 metros — ranked on real Google reviews, never on payment.

Find your city →