As if you didn't have enough to worry about when dealing with water damage, you've also got to be careful to avoid scams after a flood. Any natural disaster brings an influx of fraudsters and scam artists into a local area, eager to prey on homeowners at a particularly vulnerable time. Because the established infrastructure of government and private business is often temporarily disorganized after a disaster like flooding, fraud perpetrators see an opportunity to exploit misfortune and turn disarray to their advantage. The best defense to avoid scams after a flood is information. Here are some guidelines to sort out the usual suspects:
- Reputable, legitimate water damage recovery firms don't solicit business door-to-door or over the telephone. Be suspicious of persons spontaneously showing up at your house in the aftermath of a flood or calling randomly on the phone.
- Federal emergency organizations like FEMA do not endorse specific water damage or other flood recovery companies. Nor do they endorse private contractors. Anyone who claims to be “certified” or otherwise recommended by a federal agency to perform private flood recovery services should be considered a likely scamster.
- Beware of requests for large advance deposits in cash. Because fraud artists don't plan to be around to finish the work, they want as much hard money up front as possible.
- Insist on getting a local business address, not just a telephone number or email. Any trustworthy water damage recovery company has an established office, shop, and marked work vehicles.
- Ask to see a contractor's license. Laws vary from state to state, but in many states any repair or remodel work (including water damage recovery) totaling a specified amount in labor and materials requires a contractor's license. In most states, it's illegal even to solicit such work without a license.
- Ask to see proof of professional certification, specifically from the IICRC (Institute of Inspection Cleaning and Restoration) which sets standards and practices for the water damage remediation industry.
Avoid scams after a flood by contacting the professionals at Rytech, Inc., offering water damage and mold remediation services in 17 states.
