Did Your Tenants Leave Your Vacation Home A Mess After A Major Water Leak? 3 Steps To Restore Your Property
Posted on: 19 April 2018
Renting out your vacation house seemed like the perfect solution to avoid leaving it empty for months at a time. While the current arrangement offers benefits such as some extra income, you may not be wondering if it was worth the cost. Unfortunately, people do not always treat rental properties as they would their own house, and it's possible that your tenants simply didn't know how to prevent a water catastrophe. Now that the damage has occurred, you can use these steps to begin the process of restoring your property to proper condition.
1. Contact Your Insurance Company
Insurance is a major asset anytime that your property sustains damage. Now is the time to grab your policy information, and make sure that you follow the proper procedures for filing a claim. If your vacation home is safe for you to enter, make sure to take pictures of the damage to use as proof for any costs that you include in the claim.
2. Identify the Salvageable Items
Once you have documented the damage, your next step is to salvage anything that is still dry. For instance, you may need to remove photos or artwork from the walls before the water has a chance to begin seeping up the drywall. Alternatively, you may be able to move furniture to another room if the water did not soak into the surrounding floors in a specific area. After you salvage the dry items, you can then check to see which items got wet but are still capable of being saved. For instance, you may be able to launder curtains or clean upholstery that is wet but has not had a chance for mold and mildew to set in.
3. Begin the Water Extraction
Water damage restoration must be done using the proper techniques to prevent mold growth from developing. Water extraction can be done using tools such as sump pump to remove standing puddles, yet you may also need to arrange for services that help to further remove moisture from your rental home. For instance, the moisture in the air seeps into porous surfaces such as the walls, and special dehumidifiers help to remove moisture from the deeper surfaces so that mold cannot grow.
The sight of your beloved vacation home being flooded is disheartening. Yet, you still have the chance to preserve your property. By acting quickly following a major water leak, you can restore your property and have it ready for your next vacation.
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