Shut off the water source immediately

Turn off the main shutoff valve — garage, utility room, or near your water meter. In Crossroads and Lake Hills homes, check the crawl space access panel. Cannot find it? Shut off at the street meter. Appliance event? Unplug the unit.

Cut power to affected rooms at the breaker panel

Switch off electricity to every room with standing water. Do not enter a flooded room if outlets are at floor level until power is confirmed off. If the breaker panel is in an affected room, call your utility first.

Take timestamped photos and video of everything

Before touching anything: photograph all affected areas, water level marks on walls, the source point, and all visible damage. Video walkthrough is better than photos alone. These timestamps are your primary WA duty-to-mitigate compliance evidence.

Do NOT start cleanup yet

Do not mop, blot, or vacuum water. Do not remove wet rugs, furniture, or materials. Any change to the scene before professional documentation compromises your insurance claim.

Call us before your insurance company — (425) 920-1919

WA duty-to-mitigate requires immediate action. Waiting for an adjuster violates this and gives your carrier grounds to reduce your settlement. Give us: your address, the source, and whether it is stopped. We dispatch within minutes, on-site within 60 minutes.

Locate your insurance documents

Find: insurance card, policy declarations page (deductible and coverage limits), insurer claims phone number. Common Bellevue carriers: State Farm, Safeco, Allstate, Farmers, USAA. Do not call them yet — wait until we have thermal imaging complete.

Move valuables to a dry area — photograph in-place first

Photograph all damaged items before moving them. Electronics, artwork, documents, and sentimental items can move to a dry room after photographing. Personal property damage is a separate insurance line item — document everything before it moves.

Allow thermal imaging before any work begins

First 30–60 minutes on-site is thermal imaging and moisture mapping. FLIR cameras find moisture 8–12 feet beyond visible wet zones inside wall cavities. This creates your Day 1 evidence package — satisfies WA duty-to-mitigate, establishes claim scope, and is the evidence your adjuster uses to approve equipment fees. Do not rush this step.

Review and approve the written scope before work starts

After thermal imaging we produce a written scope: affected areas, materials, equipment, drying timeline, and cost estimate. Read it. Ask questions. Nothing starts until you sign. For insurance jobs this scope becomes your Xactimate. No scope changes without your approval.

Call your insurance company with documentation in hand

Now — with thermal imaging report and written scope — call your insurer to open the claim. Reference: event date/time, source (burst pipe, appliance, etc.), restoration company contact for adjuster communication. We handle direct adjuster contact from this point.

Save your daily moisture readings (texted to you each day)

We text moisture readings from every measurement zone daily. Save every message. They are your proof that drying progressed and equipment ran as documented. If your adjuster disputes equipment days, these timestamped readings are irrefutable. In Bellevue’s Oct–Mar season, drying takes 4–12 days.

Do not remove drying equipment early

Do not unplug, move, or remove equipment before IICRC S500 clearance. Early removal leaves moisture in walls that causes mold 3–6 months later inside the rebuild. It also voids the drying documentation justifying your insurance reimbursement. Call us if you have concerns.

Keep a personal incident log

Log every insurer conversation: date, time, rep name, what was said. Note adjuster visit dates. Note claim decisions. This log is your evidence if your insurer delays beyond Washington’s 10/15 business day legal deadlines or a bad faith dispute arises under RCW 48.30.015.

Wait for written IICRC clearance before hiring rebuild contractor

Rebuilding before moisture reaches IICRC S500 pre-loss baseline traps moisture inside new walls, leading to mold within months. We issue a written clearance report when all zones reach Bellevue’s regional EMC baseline (8–13% for wood materials). Your general contractor should require this before touching the rebuild.