Start the file before you start the cleanup
Water damage claims turn on evidence. An adjuster who sees a dry room with the carpet already in the dumpster has to take your word for what it looked like. So the first hour has two jobs: stop the water and record it. The California Department of Insurance (CDI) publishes a Residential Property Claims Guide that lays out how to document a loss, and this page follows its structure.
Nothing here promises that your insurer will pay. Coverage turns on your policy, the cause of the loss and what the adjuster finds. CDI's residential guide sorts sudden, accidental water damage into covered and seepage or leaks into excluded, then tells you to read the exclusions in your contract. Read yours before you assume anything.
The claim in order
Stop the damage and call your insurer
Close the shutoff valve, move valuables and report the loss to your agent or insurer so the claim is opened.
Make temporary repairs
Tarp a roof opening, extract standing water, board a window. CDI says to make prompt temporary repairs and keep every receipt.
Document before you discard
Photograph, video and list. Keep every damaged item until the adjuster says you may let it go.
Meet the adjuster before permanent repairs
CDI's advice: hold off on permanent work until the adjuster has looked at the damage.
Keep a claim diary
Log every call, name, date and promise. Save every letter and message you send or receive.
Documentation checklist
The records below come from CDI's claims guide. The right-hand column says why each record helps, so you walk into the adjuster meeting prepared.
| Record | What to capture | Why it helps |
|---|---|---|
| Photos and video | Wide shots of each room, then close-ups of the source, stains, floors and ceilings | Shows condition before cleanup and tear-out |
| Item list | Each damaged item with brand and model, and a receipt if you have one | CDI says to list damaged items with brand and model |
| Room-by-room walkthrough video | Slow video of possessions, open closets and cabinets | Backs up the list when receipts are missing |
| Temporary repair receipts | Extraction, tarps, board-up, equipment rental | CDI says to keep these receipts |
| Living expense receipts | Hotel, meals, laundry if the home is unlivable | CDI says to keep receipts for living expenses |
| Written bids | Bids from licensed contractors for the permanent repairs | CDI recommends written bids from licensed contractors |
| Call and letter log | Dates, names, claim number, copies of everything | CDI recommends a log and copies of correspondence |
Photograph the moisture meter readings, too, if a crew takes them. A meter screen showing a wall at a high reading on day one and a normal reading at the end is plain proof the drying was needed and finished.
Dry first, claim in parallel
Do not wait for a claim to open before drying. the CDI claims guide advises drying wet areas once the damage is sudden, and it warns that the policy may not cover ensuing damage if reasonable steps were not taken. Standing water pulled out by emergency water removal is a temporary repair, and the invoice is a receipt for your file. Then ask the crew to explain the scope and price before work starts.
Mold complicates the order. CDI says mold that follows a covered loss may be covered too. It also warns that a slow leak may have mold in it already, so phone the adjuster first and scrub later. If you see dark growth, stop, photograph it and phone your insurer. Mold remediation can wait for the adjuster's visit if the area is stable, though the moisture source cannot.
Need the water out before the adjuster comes?
Extraction can happen at any hour, and the invoice goes into your claim file. The scope and price are explained up front.
What about deadlines?
California sets deadlines for insurers to acknowledge, evaluate, decide and pay claims, and they live in the Fair Claims Settlement Practices Regulations, found in Title 10 of the California Code of Regulations starting at section 2695.1. We are not quoting day counts here, since they can change and depend on your claim. Ask your insurer for the dates that apply, or ask CDI.
If the claim is denied
CDI says a denial must be in writing, state the reasons and tell you that CDI can take a second look at a claim you believe was wrongly denied. Start by reading the reasons against your policy. Then follow CDI's own steps: talk to the claims manager, call the CDI Consumer Hotline at 1-800-927-4357 (TTY 1-800-482-4833) and consider an attorney. Keep adding to the diary through all of it.
Homeowners in neighboring areas such as Chatsworth and Canoga Park can use the same checklist, and our crews are dispatched to both.
Repairs and permits in the City of Los Angeles
Two items on the LADBS Express Permits bulletin matter here. One is repair of water, termite or dry rot damage that stays under 10 percent of a home's replacement cost. The other is drywall replacement, with no new walls, in single family homes and duplexes. Both skip plan check, but a permit is still pulled.
For your claim, that means the bids you collect should say who pulls the permit. The Contractors State License Board says a licence is required when labor and materials total $1,000 or more, so check licence status on any larger repair before you accept a bid.
Source: City of Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety, Express Permits bulletin, and Contractors State License Board, licensing threshold bulletin
Water damage claim questions from West Hills homeowners
Do I need a city permit for water damage repairs in West Hills?
Often yes, though many repairs skip plan check. LADBS lists small water damage repairs (under 10 percent of a home's replacement cost) and drywall replacement without new walls as express items. Express means no plan check, not no permit. Ask your contractor who pulls it, or call the city building department.
What should I document first?
Photos and video of the damage before anything is moved. CDI's claims guide also says to list damaged items with brand and model, gather receipts, video your possessions room by room and keep receipts for temporary repairs and living expenses. Keep a log of every call and every letter.
Can I throw out wet carpet and furniture right away?
Not before you document it. The CDI claims guide wants damaged items kept until the adjuster releases them. Photograph the items and the labels, then bag or stack them in a dry space. If wet carpet pad is spreading moisture, tell the adjuster and ask how soon it can be pulled.
Can I start permanent repairs while I wait?
Wait until the adjuster has seen the damage. CDI advises holding off on anything permanent until then. Temporary repairs, such as extraction, drying, tarping and board-up, are expected, and CDI says to keep the receipts. Get written bids from licensed contractors meanwhile so you have them ready.
What can I do if my claim is denied?
Ask for the denial in writing if you have not received it. CDI says it must state the reasons and tell you that CDI can look again at a claim you believe was wrongly denied. You can talk to the claims manager, call the CDI Consumer Hotline at 1-800-927-4357 and consider an attorney. For a wet home in the meantime, call (818) 337-2642.