Pictures before the clean-up
A room that has been mopped and dried no longer tells anything. Once the roof leak is contained, your photos will be what remains of the condition of the premises. Taking them takes two minutes.
- An overall view of each affected room, then close-ups, in photos and video.
- The ceiling, the walls, the floor, and every damaged item.
- The day, the time and the weather, written down somewhere.
- An inventory of what is damaged.
What not to throw away
Damaged belongings and materials are kept until the insurer says what it wants done with them. Invoices are kept too, without exception: temporary roof protection, rented equipment, cleaning.
Dry quickly, without erasing the evidence
The worst comes after the leak, from the water that stays trapped in the materials. Once the photos are taken, do not wait.
- Pick up the water on the floor. Take out the rugs and anything soaked.
- Air the room. Open the windows if the weather allows, run fans and a dehumidifier, plugged into an outlet that stayed dry.
- Raise furniture on blocks, or keep its legs off the wet floor.
- Check next door and below. Water runs along walls and floors into nearby rooms and to the floor below.
Mould readily settles in whatever stays damp. Shut in behind a ceiling, wood, insulation and drywall dry poorly on their own. After a major leak, disaster cleanup companies have the equipment needed to dry in depth. Ask the insurer how it wants this handled.
The call to the insurer
Reach your insurer, or your broker, as soon as possible. You do not need to know the exact cause or the extent of the damage to do so.
What will be reimbursed cannot be guessed in advance. Each policy has its own coverage, and both the origin of the leak and the condition of the roof can weigh on the answer. The answer belongs to your insurer, with your policy in hand. Reread it, and put your questions in writing whenever you can.
Also ask your insurer two questions before spending anything. What does it want you to do before you pay for anything, including temporary roof protection? Does it want to see the damage before the permanent work begins?
A quote in two parts
Ask us for a written quote in two separate parts. The first covers the roof: correcting what let the water in. The second covers the inside: redoing what the water damaged. Kept separate, both parts are easier to read, for you and for the insurer.
Frequently asked questions
Is a leak through the roof covered by my home insurance?
Coverage for a leak through the roof depends on your policy, and no one can answer without reading it. The cause of the leak and the coverage in your policy can matter. Put the question to your insurer or your broker, with your policy in front of you.
Can soaked drywall and carpet go in the garbage?
Keep soaked drywall and carpet until you have photographed them from every side and the insurer has said whether it wants to examine them. If health concerns require taking them out of the house, keep detailed photos and, if possible, a piece.
Is there a deadline to report the damage?
The deadline is in your policy, and your insurer can confirm it. The practical advice stays the same: call without delay. You will know sooner what to do, and the rest will be simpler.