The First 72 Hours After Property Damage: What to Do and Not Do

The first three days after a fire, a burst pipe, or a storm set the tone for the whole claim. Decisions made in a hurry, often while you are tired and displaced, can follow you for months. This guide walks through what to do, in order, and what to hold off on until you have your footing.

Hour zero: make it safe

No claim is worth getting hurt over. Before you think about insurance, think about the building.

• Do not reenter a structurally damaged building until a building official or other qualified person says it is safe. The CDC gives the same advice for flooded homes.
• Electricity and water do not mix. Never switch power on or off while standing in water. If you cannot reach the main breaker from a dry spot, call an electrician. Have the electrical system checked before power is restored.
• If you smell gas, leave. Call the gas utility or 911 from outside. Do not flip switches or do anything that could make a spark.
• Watch for carbon monoxide. Generators, pressure washers, and other gas-powered equipment belong outdoors and well away from doors, windows, and vents.
• Protect yourself from contaminated water and mold. Floodwater and sewage backups can carry bacteria. Wear gloves, boots, and eye protection, and keep children and pets away.

Call your certified restoration company first

Once everyone is safe, your first call should be to a certified restoration company of your choice, before you call your insurance company or wait on an adjuster. Here is why:

• Damage gets worse by the hour. The EPA advises drying water-damaged areas and items within 24 to 48 hours to prevent mold growth. An adjuster may not see your home for days, and that time can turn a drying job into a tear-out.
• Stopping the damage is your duty, and you don’t need permission to do it. A typical homeowners policy requires you to protect the property from further damage and to make reasonable and necessary repairs to do so. It does not make you wait for the insurer to approve emergency work.
• The first documentation should come from your side. A professional crew can record moisture readings, take photos, and note the category of water before anything is moved. That record exists before anyone else’s version of the loss.
• You choose the company. Calling your own contractor first means the work starts with someone you picked, not someone assigned to you. See You choose your contractor.

Look for a firm with IICRC-certified technicians or IICRC Certified Firm status. You can confirm certification with the IICRC’s online locator, and in California you can check the contractor’s license with the Contractors State License Board.

Calling a restoration company first doesn’t mean waiting to report the claim. Notify your insurer the same day, as described below. And read your policy for a managed-repair or preferred-vendor endorsement. A small number of policies require you to notify the insurer before emergency repairs so it can send its own vendor, and courts have enforced those terms.

Notify your insurer, and get it in writing

Most homeowners policies list “prompt notice” as one of your duties after a loss. The widely used ISO Homeowners 3 form (HO 00 03) lists it first among the duties. The form does not set a specific number of days, but waiting can give the insurer an argument that the delay hurt its ability to investigate.

When you report the loss:

• Have your policy number, address, and a short, factual description of what happened.
• Describe what you know, not what you guess. “Water was coming from under the dishwasher when I got home at 6 p.m.” is better than a theory about which part failed.
• Write down the claim number, the name of the person you spoke with, and the date and time.
• Ask who your assigned adjuster is and how to reach them. If no one has been assigned yet, ask when that will happen.
• Ask the insurer to send you a copy of your full policy, including the declarations page and all endorsements.

Then send a short email confirming the call: the date you reported the loss, the claim number, and anything the representative told you. That email becomes your record. For more on building that record, see Document your claim like evidence.

In California, once the insurer receives notice of a claim, it must acknowledge it, give you the forms and instructions you need, and begin any necessary investigation within 15 calendar days (10 CCR § 2695.5(e)). Other states have their own timelines. Your state Department of Insurance can tell you what applies.

Stop the damage from getting worse

A typical homeowners policy makes it your duty to protect the property from further damage. Under the ISO HO-3 form, if repairs are needed to do that, you must make reasonable and necessary repairs and keep an accurate record of what they cost. The same form treats the reasonable cost of those protective measures as covered. The form also has a “Neglect” exclusion for failing to use reasonable means to save and preserve property at and after a loss.

In plain terms: you are expected to act, and you should be reimbursed for reasonable costs of doing so. Examples:

• Shutting off the water supply and stopping an active leak
• Tarping a damaged roof or boarding broken windows
• Starting water extraction and drying
• Moving undamaged contents out of harm’s way

Keep every receipt and invoice for emergency work, and photograph the temporary repairs.

Document before anything moves

Once something is torn out or hauled away, you cannot photograph it again. Before cleanup starts, and before the mitigation crew removes anything:

• Take wide shots first, then medium, then close-ups. Show each room from the doorway, then each wall, then each damaged item.
• Take video. Walk slowly through every affected room and narrate what you see.
• Photograph the source of the loss: the failed supply line, the hole in the roof, the burn pattern.
• Photograph things that will be removed, such as wet drywall, carpet pad, and cabinets, before they are removed.
• Keep damaged items when you can, or at least representative samples, until the adjuster has seen them or agreed in writing that they can go. The ISO HO-3 form requires you to show the damaged property as often as the insurer reasonably requires. The NAIC also recommends making a list and taking photos and video.

If something must be discarded for health reasons, such as spoiled food or sewage-soaked materials, photograph it, list it, and note why it was thrown out.

Emergency services are not the full rebuild

After a loss, you will often be asked to sign paperwork quickly. Two very different kinds of work tend to get blended together:

• Emergency mitigation: water extraction, drying, board-up, tarping, smoke and soot stabilization. This is time-sensitive.
• Repairs and reconstruction: putting the home back to its pre-loss condition. This is not an emergency, and it should wait until the scope of damage is agreed.

You can authorize emergency work without committing to anyone for the rebuild. Read the work authorization before you sign. Look for:

• Whether it covers only mitigation, or also repairs
• How pricing is set, and whether you are responsible for amounts insurance does not pay
• Any assignment of benefits or direction to pay language, which can transfer some of your claim rights or direct payment to the contractor. Some states regulate or restrict these agreements.
• Cancellation terms

Know this: You generally choose who works on your home. Many standard policies do not require you to use the insurer’s vendor, and California regulation prohibits an insurer from requiring the insured to use a specific repairer (10 CCR § 2695.9(b)). Some policies do include managed-repair endorsements, so check yours. See You choose your contractor.

Do not sign everything put in front of you

In the first days, you may be handed estimates, authorizations, releases, and statements to sign. Slow down.

• Do not sign a release or anything that says “full and final” without understanding exactly what you are giving up.
• Do not guess in a recorded statement. If you do not know, say so. See Recorded statements, EUOs, and proof of loss.
• Ask for copies of everything you sign, the same day.
• Do not throw away the original estimate or any report the insurer or a contractor gives you.

If you have to leave your home

If the damage makes the home unfit to live in, most homeowners policies include loss of use coverage, often called additional living expense (ALE). In the ISO HO-3 form, this covers the necessary increase in living costs so your household can keep its normal standard of living. Keep every receipt for lodging, meals beyond your usual grocery bill, extra mileage, and laundry. Ask the adjuster in writing how ALE will be handled on your claim.

Your first-72-hours checklist

• Everyone is safe, and utilities are handled by qualified people
• Certified restoration company of your choice called to start mitigation
• Loss reported; claim number written down
• Adjuster’s name, phone, and email received in writing
• Confirmation email sent after every phone call
• Photos and video taken before cleanup
• Damaged items and samples kept, or photographed and listed if discarded
• Emergency mitigation started; receipts kept
• Copy of the full policy requested
• Nothing signed that you do not understand

When to bring in help

If the loss is large, the cause is disputed, or the insurer is slow to respond, get qualified help early. Your state Department of Insurance can explain your rights and timelines. A licensed public adjuster can document and present the claim for you. An attorney licensed in your state can advise you on coverage disputes and on any document you are being asked to sign.