waterguide

The first hours

Should I call my insurance company or a restoration company first?

The short answer: stop the water first, then call a qualified restoration company before the insurance company for anything beyond a small mop-up. Most homeowners policies require you to protect the property from further damage — your "duty to mitigate" — and a mitigation crew stops the damage clock immediately. Call your insurer the same day to open the claim, but don't wait days for an adjuster before drying begins: mold can start growing within 24 to 48 hours, and damage that spreads while you wait is harder to claim.

Your policy expects you to act, not wait

This surprises people, but it's standard in homeowners policies: after a loss, you're expected to take reasonable steps to prevent more damage — shutting off the water, extracting standing water, starting the drying process. Insurers can and do push back on damage that spread because nobody acted. So "waiting for the adjuster" is exactly the wrong instinct. Document everything (photos before, during, and after), keep receipts for any emergency work, and move fast.

The order that works

  1. Stop the water. Main shutoff, appliance valve — the physical source first. The first-hour playbook →
  2. Call a qualified water-mitigation crew for anything beyond what a mop and a fan can handle. They extract, set drying equipment, and — critically — document moisture readings that your claim will need later.
  3. Call your insurance company the same day to report the loss and get a claim number. Give them the facts: when you found it, what the source was, what you've done so far. Keep it factual.
  4. Keep every receipt and every reading. Emergency mitigation costs are typically part of the claim. The crew's moisture logs prove the drying was real, not decorative.
Why the crew first isn't a conflict Your contractor generally can't argue coverage on your behalf — but a good mitigation crew documents the damage professionally, which is exactly what your claim needs. Homeowners and honest contractors want the same thing here: the full, real scope of damage on the record. What a good crew does →
Read before you sign anything that assigns your claim benefits In the chaos of the first visit, some companies present paperwork that assigns your insurance benefits to them — meaning they deal with your insurer directly and get paid from your claim. This is legal in many states but changes who controls the money. Understand what you're signing, ask questions, and never sign under pressure. If you want the deep dive on the claims process itself, our sibling site covers the claim fight →

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Informational only — not professional, medical, or insurance advice.

Policy terms vary. Check your own policy documents and talk to a licensed professional before acting. This is general guidance, not a substitute for a qualified contractor or your insurer's instructions.