How a claim actually proceeds.

Make the property safe before you worry about forms. Stop a plumbing leak if you can do it without stepping through water near power. Stay off a damaged roof. If a storm opened the roof or broke a window, a temporary cover keeps the next rain from becoming a second loss. Photograph that damage before you cover it, if you can do so safely. This page is a description of the usual order. It is not legal advice, and it is not a reading of your policy.

Then call the company on the policy, or the agent who can open the report. Ask how they want notice, what they want you to save, and whether they want an adjuster to see the damage before permanent repairs. Write down the claim number, the date, and the name of anyone you speak with. Notice language is in your policy. It is not identical on every Texas policy, so we do not quote a deadline. Ask the insurer to point you to the wording, and keep that answer with the claim number.

The order is fairly steady, even when the damage is not. First the house is protected and photographed. Then the claim is opened. Then someone dries or tarps what would get worse if it waited. Then the adjuster looks. Then you read what the insurer sends and ask about anything that does not match your photos or your policy. Repairs that rebuild finishes usually come after that look, unless delay would make the loss worse.

• Make the house safe and stop more water if you can do it safely
• Photograph rooms, the source, and belongings before cleanup
• Open the claim and write down the claim number
• Tarp, board, or dry what would get worse if it waited, and keep receipts
• Meet the adjuster with your photos and ask what was measured
• Compare what the insurer sends with the house, and ask about gaps in writing
• Hire the repair when you are ready, with a scope you have read

Keep a simple file. Photos, the claim number, names, receipts for temporary protection, and notes of what was removed. The insurance photo log on this site is a free way to keep the room-by-room part of that file. Bring it to the adjuster meeting. It does not decide coverage. It keeps the facts in one place. Water that rose from outside is often a different conversation than a burst supply line or a roof leak. We do not sort policies. Ask your insurer which policy, if any, applies to the water you had.

The adjuster works for the insurance company. Be there if you can. Walk the rooms and the parts of the roof they are willing to see. Point out damage that is easy to miss: a soft floor away from the obvious stain, wet insulation, dents on gutters, a ceiling that only drips when the wind drives rain. Share your photos. Ask what was measured, and ask for a copy of what they write up. Take notes of names and of anything you were told would be checked later.

You can ask questions on the spot. You can also ask later, in writing, about anything you do not understand. You do not have to agree to a figure in the driveway. If a contractor is with you, that person can speak to the condition of the building and to the work they would do. They are not there to argue your policy for you. A public adjuster is different. That is a separate license a homeowner can hire to represent them with the insurer. Elite Restorations is not a public adjuster. If you hire one, that is your decision. We still do not negotiate the claim.

A contractor can photograph visible damage, tarp an opening when it is safe, extract water, and dry the structure. A contractor can write down what was wet, what was removed, and what was rebuilt. A contractor can give you a scope and a price for the work you hire: roofing, drywall, flooring, siding, paint. A contractor can meet the adjuster at the house and answer questions about those materials. That is the help. It is practical, and it stops at the building.

We do that work as a family-owned company that has been in Houston since 1993, scheduled from 511 Crestwater Ct, Houston, TX 77082. You can hire the company you want. A visit from us does not lock you into the work.

A contractor cannot decide what your policy covers. A contractor cannot tell you the insurer owes a certain amount. A contractor cannot sign the claim for you, and should not ask you to sign away a question you have not read. We do not interpret the policy, and we do not give legal advice. If you need someone to explain your rights under a statute or a form, that question belongs with your insurer or with a lawyer you choose. We are not those offices.

We also cannot promise that a claim will be approved, or that a deductible will be waived. Deductibles, including a wind or hail deductible that may differ from an ordinary one, are in your policy. Ask the insurer which deductible applies to this loss. How a payment is released, and whether it is reduced for age before the work is finished, are in the policy too. We can price the repair. We cannot turn that price into a coverage decision.

When the insurer sends an estimate or a letter, compare it with your photos and with what you can see in the house. If a wet room is missing, or a roof slope was not mentioned, ask the insurer in writing. If you hire us, our scope describes the work we are pricing. It is not a substitute for their estimate, and the two will not always match. The difference is a question for the insurer. We do not settle it.

Permanent repairs that cover damage usually wait until the adjuster has had a chance to see it. Temporary protection does not. A house that stays open or stays wet gets harder to repair, and the photos from the first day are what keep that extra damage understandable.

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Call (713) 909-0034, or use the contact form. Tell us what was damaged and whether you have already opened a claim. We will look at the house, photograph the conditions, and talk through the repair. We will not tell you what the policy pays.