There is nowhere that is more important than the home, so do you know what to do if your home is damaged? Any kind of property damage can be shocking, upsetting, and stressful.
Unfortunately, damaged property is a common experience, whether this is damage from a storm, a plumbing leak, or vandalism.
It is hard to know what to do in this situation, but it is important that you take the right steps after discovering the damage. Keep reading to discover the 3 key steps to take if you ever experience property damage.
1. Ensure Safety
The very first step to take is to ensure safety. This will include making sure that you, others in the household, and anyone nearby are safe, as property damage can cause a serious threat to others. You need to check on everyone and get people to a safe distance.
Often, there are secondary hazards that stem from property damage. There may be steps that you can take to make the area safer and to prevent further damage, such as switching off the water supply.
In other situations, such as a fire, you will want to alert the emergency services.
2. Collect Evidence
Safety needs to be your priority when it comes to property damage. If it is safe to do so, you also need to collect as much evidence as possible. This will be to support any property insurance claims that you want to make.
There are many ways to collect evidence of property damage. This can include the following:
- Taking pictures of the overall scene
- Taking up-close pictures of the damage and cause of damage
- Taking pictures of injuries sustained
- Filming a video of the scene
- Collecting witness contact details and statements
Successful property insurance claims hinge on proving that the property damage was not your fault. You also need to be able to prove the extent of the damage, which can be hard without evidence.
3. Make a Claim
Following this, you will then want to make a claim to your insurance company. You should do this as early as possible and avoid taking any kind of responsibility for the damage. The claims process can be complex, so you need to listen carefully to what the next steps will be and ask any questions that you have.
Keep in mind that even if you pay your premiums, you could be denied or underpaid. Property damage can be traumatic enough, so getting rejected or not getting enough of a payout to restore the property can be distressing.
In this situation, you should contact property insurance claims solicitors that will be able to help. They will be able to fight aggressively on your behalf to ensure that you get the settlement that is deserved so that you can recover from the property damage and put the incident in the past.
Manage Property Damage With These 3 Tips
Nobody expects their home or personal property to become damaged, but property damage is common and can change your life. These are the 3 key steps to take that should minimize disruption and help you to get the settlement that you need.
Check out our other property articles today to learn more.