Restore. Rebuild. Respond.
Water Damage Insurance Claims in San Antonio
A water damage insurance claim goes better when the first few hours go right. The same goes for fire and mold.
We help document the damage and work with your insurance carrier throughout the restoration process. The claim itself stays yours.
What to do first after water, fire or mold damage
Most of this list comes from the Texas Department of Insurance (opens in a new tab) (TDI). Safety comes first, always.
Step 1: Get everyone safe
Ready.gov (opens in a new tab) warns against touching electrical equipment if it's wet or if you're standing in water, and after a fire it says to check with the fire department (opens in a new tab) that your home is safe to enter. With mold, the EPA (opens in a new tab) advises avoiding breathing in mold or mold spores.
Step 2: Stop the source if it's safe
For a sudden leak, TDI's advice (opens in a new tab) is to shut your water off at the main. If reaching the valve means wading past outlets or cords, don't.
Step 3: Photograph everything first
TDI's tips (opens in a new tab) say to take pictures or videos of the damage before making any repairs. Get the whole room, then the details: the ceiling stain, the swollen baseboard. Once the mess is gone, nobody can photograph it.
Step 4: Protect the house from more damage
TDI says to make temporary repairs and hold permanent ones until your insurance company sees the damage, and TDI's blog (opens in a new tab) warns that your insurer may deny your claim if you don't protect your property. Don't let drying wait: the EPA (opens in a new tab) advises drying water-damaged areas and items within 24 to 48 hours to prevent mold growth.
Step 5: Call your insurance company promptly
Tell your company as soon as possible, TDI says. With hidden water damage, you usually must report it within days after you first see it. We're available 24/7 at (210) 726-4411, or you can request an inspection online.
How we inspect and document the damage
Documentation starts at the first visit, before cleanup changes what an adjuster would see. We trace where the water went, take moisture readings, photograph the damage and note what's affected. The readings matter more than people expect. Drywall can look fine and still hold water, and a photo won't show it.
The photos, readings and notes are yours to share with your insurance carrier. If belongings have to come out, contents pack-out adds an inventory of what left the house. Our process page shows where each record fits.
What documentation can't do is decide your claim. Your carrier does that, under your policy, and we won't predict what it will pay. Whether the job is water damage restoration, mold remediation or fire damage restoration, our part is the record and the work.
How we work within your carrier's process
You, the policyholder
You file the claim (opens in a new tab) and own it. Coverage questions go to your adjuster or agent, you choose who does the work, and the deductible is yours.
Your carrier and its adjuster
“The adjuster works for the insurance company paying the claim,” as TDI puts it (opens in a new tab). The adjuster estimates the payment. Your carrier decides what your policy covers.
Texas Damage Response
We do the restoration work you hire us for. We help document the damage and work with your insurance carrier throughout the restoration process.
We aren't public adjusters, and Texas law wouldn't let us act as one on a home we're working on (Insurance Code Section 4102.163 (opens in a new tab)). We don't file your claim, we don't negotiate with your carrier on your behalf, and we don't interpret your policy. TDI's summary of the law (opens in a new tab) lists the first two as improper for contractors.
Your deductible stays yours
In TDI's words, a deductible is “the amount you have to pay before the insurance company will pay,” (opens in a new tab) and on a home policy it applies to each claim. Texas law makes it illegal for a contractor (opens in a new tab) to offer to waive, rebate or absorb a policyholder's deductible. We won't.
When a property insurance claim will likely pay for work costing $1,000 or more, the contract must carry this notice in bold type (Business and Commerce Code Section 27.02 (opens in a new tab)):
“Texas law requires a person insured under a property insurance policy to pay any deductible applicable to a claim made under the policy. It is a violation of Texas law for a seller of goods or services who reasonably expects to be paid wholly or partly from the proceeds of a property insurance claim to knowingly allow the insured person to fail to pay, or assist the insured person's failure to pay, the applicable insurance deductible.”
Common coverage questions, answered by TDI
Every policy is different, and your carrier decides what yours covers. Below is TDI's general picture (opens in a new tab), which is no substitute for reading your own policy.
| Situation | Usually covered? | What TDI says |
|---|---|---|
| Sudden and accidental water damage, like a burst pipe | Usually | “Most homeowner and renters policies cover sudden and accidental water damage.” |
| Gradual leaks or seepage | Usually not | “Policies usually won’t cover damage from gradual leaks.” |
| Mold on an item damaged in a covered loss | Yes | “If mold develops on a damaged item, it would be covered.” |
| Mold cleanup and testing | Usually not | Most home policies don’t include it after a damaged item is removed; your insurer may let you add cleanup coverage. |
| Flooding | No, not by a home policy | Home policies “don’t cover floods,” so “you would need a separate flood policy.” |
Two more TDI tips apply to nearly every claim. Keep receipts for any materials you buy to make repairs, and don't throw away damaged items until your adjuster has seen them. If wet materials have to come out sooner, photograph them first and ask your carrier what to keep.
Insurance claim questions
It depends on the claim, but Texas sets deadlines. According to TDI, your insurer has 15 business days to say it got your claim. Once it has everything it needs from you, it has 15 business days to say whether it will pay, and it can take 45 more days if it tells you why. After it agrees to pay, it has five business days to send the money.
The adjuster works for the insurance company paying the claim, TDI explains, and estimates what it will pay. Try to be there, TDI suggests, so nothing gets missed. Bring your own photos and receipts, along with the photos, moisture readings and notes from our documentation. They're yours to share.
No. Texas law bars a contractor from acting as a public adjuster on property it's working on (Insurance Code Section 4102.163), and TDI lists offering to negotiate claim settlements as improper for contractors. We help document the damage and work with your insurance carrier throughout the restoration process. Coverage conversations stay between you and your carrier.
Tell your insurance company why, and send supporting documentation, TDI advises. Our photos, readings and notes are yours to include. Still disagree? TDI lists other routes, including an appraisal if your policy has one, a complaint to TDI, or hiring a public insurance adjuster, who charges fees.
No. TDI says a deductible is part of your home insurance policy and that it's illegal for a contractor to waive it or help you avoid paying it. Rebates or credits in the amount of your deductible are illegal too. Breaking that law, Business and Commerce Code Section 27.02, is a Class B misdemeanor. Your insurer can also ask for proof that you paid the deductible before it pays the full amount of your claim.
Get the damage documented
Call 24/7. Every job starts with an inspection and documentation you can share with your carrier.