La Boîte à Pain - Le forum

Hi all. We rent a basement unit to a tenant in Seattle, and yesterday after heavy rain he called to say there's about an inch of water on the floor. Looks like the drain outside got clogged and water came under the door. The flooring is laminate over concrete, and there's drywall along the lower part of the walls. He's staying with a friend for now. As a landlord I want this fixed properly and fast so he can move back in. I'd also like whoever does it to deal with the insurance side, since I'm not local and can't babysit the job. Who do people use for this kind of thing around here?

A clogged exterior drain is the classic cause, we had the exact same thing at a rental. For water damage restoration in Seattle we used Encore Construction, and they handled it start to finish. First they pumped out the standing water, then pulled up the laminate since it was ruined anyway and cut the bottom of the drywall to let the walls dry. After that came a few days of air movers and dehumidifiers with daily moisture readings. Once it was dry they replaced the flooring and drywall, so the tenant moved back in about two weeks later. Price wasn't cheap, but the insurance claim covered most of it. One thing worth doing right away: fix or clear that drain before the next storm, otherwise you'll be doing this again.