Water Damage To Your Home And Possesions During A Move

Even if your destination is your dream home in an ideal location, moving is often a stressful experience. Both your homes and their contents can get damaged during the moving process, leading to your and your family being displaced for even longer than you expected. In this article, we will discuss common forms of water damage that can happen during a move, insurance coverage considerations, and how to get the help you need if you are faced with this unexpected issue.

Water Damage During the Moving Process

One common problem that can happen with your home and its contents that can occur during a move is water damage. If the weather is cold and the temperature is not monitored correctly, plumbing can burst and flood your home. Storms and floods can cause leaks, ice dams, wet basements, and other destructive forms of water intrusion. A water-using appliance like a refrigerator or hot water heater can fail and make a huge mess.

These issues are particularly common in homes where no one is currently living. The problems can start, continue, and spread throughout the home when no one is there to notice it and take action to stop it.

Bad weather during the actual move process can cause valuable furniture and other items to get soaked. If your items are stored between homes, water damage can occur unnoticed at the storage facility.

Even worse, if any form of water damage is not spotted, stopped, and restored right away, mold and mildew will start to grow. Mold can grow in as little as 24 hours when moisture is present on organic materials like wood, paper, and many fabrics. It can be incredibly damaging, hazardous to your health, and requires professional removal.

Insurance Coverage For Water Damage During A Move

Although very few people would want to intentionally damage your home or its contents, unfortunately the many accidents and issues we listed above can happen. When you use movers, you can’t always control everything that happens with your possessions. Make sure that you understand the moving company’s rules and limits for liability on your property.

In general, a moving company is responsible if it loses or damages your possessions during the move. If problems happen, you would need to file a claim with the mover to request compensation for the water or other damage.

While your homeowners insurance policy will cover damage to your belongings if the damage occurs in your home, in many cases it won’t cover damage that occurs while you're moving items from one home to the next. Your homeowners insurance policy should cover the water damage to your home itself. This is provided you have coverage when it occurs, and the water damage is sudden, unexpected, and from a covered source.

Overall, one important and often overlooked moving task is to carefully read your insurance policy, your mover’s insurance policy, and ask your contacts if you have questions.Particularly if you have a lot of high value items, you may want to consider obtaining private insurance coverage for any losses that could occur during a move.

Trusted, Local Help For Connecticut Homeowners

Whether the water damage occurs at the home you are moving out of, the home you are moving into, or during the move itself, getting professional help is essential.

Water damage restoration is a complex process that requires expert knowledge, specialized equipment, and trained teams that can take action right away. Removing the water and stopping the damage as quickly as possible will lead to the best results possible. With the right help, you may be able to restore many items, instead of having to replace them.

If you are dealing with water damage to your Connecticut home and possessions, Riverside Restoration is here to help. Our experienced, local team can respond quickly. We know how to handle every kind of water damage to every kind of home, from new construction to irreplaceable historic homes and items.

We also know how to partner with your insurance company to ensure you get the coverage you need. Contact us today to learn how we can help you get your life back to normal, and start enjoying your new home.