What To Do When My Apartment Floods?
By: 911 Water Damage Experts
Quick summary of what to do when your apartment floods:
1. Get everyone out
2. Find the source
3. Call landlord
4. Connect with neighbours
5. Take care of your belongings
6. Document damage
7. Call the insurance company
8. Coordinate repairs
Apartment Flood Tip 1. Safety First
The first thing you should be looking into when you see that your apartment is flooded is that you get everyone out to safety. Make sure you help everyone and don’t forget your pets too! There is significant damage that can be done when a flood occurs and safety should be your priority. When there are heavy floods from a natural disaster it is best to relocate completely and find a safe and dry place to stay for a short while.
Apartment Flood Tip 2. Find The Source
Naturally, if the flood happens in your apartment only, and it is not caused by a natural disaster, then you should try to find the source of it. You need to do this so you can get more information and find a way to approach it. The cause of the flood can be due to a frozen or burst pipe or an overflowing toilet or even a broken appliance. Find the source and make sure to shut off the leaking water before it does more damage than it has.
Apartment Flood Tip 3. Talk To Your Landlord
The next thing you should do when your apartment floods is to talk to your landlord. After all, you need to inform them of the situation that has developed, not only because they are your landlord, but also because they may be able to help you. Ultimately, the landlord is the one who is responsible for protecting the property from any damage, so make sure to call them as soon as possible. In the best scenario, they will contact a maintenance team and have the matter inspected thoroughly immediately.
Apartment Flood Tip 4. Contact Your Neighbours
Be a good neighbour and contact neighbours closest to your apartment. Let them know that some damage has been done and inform them whether this may affect their apartments too. Of course, this depends on the severity of the flood. All you need to do is give them a heads-up so they can take some precautions in a timely fashion.
Apartment Flood Tip 5. Take Care Of Your Belongings
Water damage moves fast and moves unnoticed sometimes, so before closing the door and stepping away from the apartment, make sure that you have secured all the belongings that are worth of value to you. Move whatever you can from the affected area and keep any items you want from being ruined. Put them in a high place or store them in another part of the apartment that would not get affected by the flood. And, if you have to leave the premises, take as much of those valuables as you can with you.
Apartment Flood Tip 6. Document The Damage
Of course, right before leaving, you should document the damage, preferably with your phone. This might not be the first thing that comes to your mind, but it is extremely important to do. Your landlord, your maintenance team, the insurance company, and everyone involved will need the documentation records later on so they can help you as much as they can. Take photos of the damage and check all areas for any further damage that might have been done. Write down the time when the damage happened. All details, anything that you can notice, make sure to document it. Even if the images are not of the highest quality, they can still help you.
Apartment Flood Tip 7. Call Your Insurance Company
You should immediately call your insurance company and let them know that you are dealing with a situation. While the landlord is taking care of the damage done to the property, the insurance company will take care of all the damage done to your personal belongings. What you need to keep in mind here is that not all types of floods are covered by insurance. Check your insurance policy and read the fine print so you can take all options into consideration.
Apartment Flood Tip 8. Coordinate Any Repairs
Talk to your landlord and coordinate the repair process. If there are many repairs to be done, maybe you can coordinate the process. This way you will be more prepared for any obstacles that may come your way during the repair process.
Want To Prevent A Flood In Your Apartment?
If you have ever dealt with a flooded apartment, or you just want to be safe for the future, then there are a lot of things that you can do to protect yourself. If you never want to deal with this type of issue, then you need to do the following:
Check your appliances regularly. Any appliances that run with water such as a dishwasher or a washing machine can cause a flood if they are not maintained well. Whether it is a leaky hose or a breakdown issue, you need to manage them so you can prevent a flood from happening.
Turn off faucets and the shower. Even if it sounds like the simplest task you can do, if you leave a faucet running, the damage can be large. So, when you are not using them, make sure they are completely shut off.
Check your maintenance guide. You need to stay up to date on your maintenance too. Keeping up with it will save you a lot of trouble in the future.
Want To Clean Up A Flooded Apartment?
This is the most difficult part of the entire process, but, it has to be done. So if you are facing a flooded apartment and you need to start cleaning it out, but don’t know where to begin, here are a few tips that you may find interesting:
Start with getting rid of the water
Of course, this is the first thing you should do when your apartment floods. Remove as much water as you can yourself, but be careful! Depending on the source of the water, it can be highly contaminated. If this is the case, then you should leave this to a professional water damage company near you with experience and equipment to handle the situation.
Throw out damaged furniture
Unfortunately, this is the cruel reality you have to face. In some cases, the damage can be so great that there would be pieces of furniture that could not be saved. This is why you need to inspect the furniture and make sure that you have done everything to save it, but, in the end, if it is not salvageable, then you need to make peace with it and throw it all away.
Clean everything
Disinfecting the area after the flood has affected your home is incredibly important. You need to clean and disinfect everything that the water has touched. As soon as you remove the water from the apartment, start cleaning!
What If Your Apartment Has Been Flooded Because Of Your Neighbors?
This is another frustrating situation that you might be dealing with, but, as with any other scenario, the first thing you need to do is act quickly, and act smartly. Document the damage and record videos of everything that has been affected. This is helpful information that can help the insurance company.
Also, you can remove all valuables and minimize the damage by taking care of whatever is most valuable to you. Call your landlord and inform them of the damage and have someone inspect the area as soon as possible.
If you have any questions about our article “What To Do When My Apartment Floods” or need a water damage restoration company, feel free to call us at 1-833-WE-DRY-IT or chat with us in near real-time on our Facebook fan page.
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