A Homeowner’s Checklist for Recovering from Residential Water Damage

Water damage recovery has a sequence. Skip steps or do them in the wrong order and you create bigger problems than the original event. This isn’t about being overly cautious. It’s about understanding that water inside a home behaves in specific ways and needs to be addressed in a specific order to prevent cascading damage. Professional residential water damage restoration follows a defined process that protects both the property and the people inside it.

What’s the Very First Thing You Do?

Make the property safe. Turn off electricity to affected areas at the breaker. Do not enter rooms with standing water if electrical outlets, appliances, or power sources are present. If the water source is still active, like a burst pipe, shut off the water main. In Australia, your water main shutoff is typically near the meter at the front boundary of the property. Safety first. Everything else is secondary.

When Should You Call Your Insurance Company?

As soon as the property is safe. Most Australian home insurance policies require notification within a reasonable time, often 24 to 72 hours. Delayed notification can complicate your claim or give insurers grounds to reduce the payout. Document everything with photos and video before moving or removing anything. Note the time you first discovered the damage. That timestamp matters.

How Do You Identify Everything That’s Been Affected?

Water travels. What looks like a localised kitchen leak can saturate the subfloor, wick into adjacent walls, and create moisture in a room you wouldn’t expect. Walk the entire property and check for soft spots in flooring, discoloration on walls and ceilings, and musty odour in any room, not just the obvious one. Professional assessors use thermal cameras and moisture meters to find hidden moisture that visual inspection misses completely.

What Should Be Removed from a Water-Damaged Property Immediately?

Wet rugs and non-fitted floor coverings. Furniture sitting on wet carpet or flooring. Personal belongings, documents, and electronics. Wet clothing and textiles. Remove porous materials that have absorbed water quickly, as they become mould-friendly within 24 to 48 hours. Fitted carpet may be able to be dried in place by professionals, but only if treatment begins fast. Don’t remove fitted carpet yourself before getting a professional assessment.

What Should the Drying Process Look Like?

Industrial drying is a multi-day process. Day one focuses on water extraction and placing drying equipment. Days two through four monitor moisture readings and adjust equipment positioning. Professional restorers use psychrometric calculations, measuring temperature, humidity, and airflow to create optimal drying conditions. A normal home hairdryer or fan pointed at a wet wall does nothing meaningful compared to proper restoration equipment.

How Do You Know When Mould Is a Risk?

Any water damage event that involved standing water for more than 24 hours carries a mould risk. Visible mould growth appears within two to ten days of a water event depending on temperature and humidity. If you see any discoloration on surfaces that appeared after the water event, treat it as mould until tested otherwise. In Australia, domestic mould is addressed under standard indoor air quality guidelines, and professional testing is available to confirm the type and concentration of spores present.

What Happens After Drying Is Complete?

A final moisture assessment confirms all materials are within safe ranges. Damaged materials like drywall, insulation, and flooring that were removed during the process are replaced. Antimicrobial treatment is applied to previously affected areas as a preventive measure. A final walkthrough with the restoration company documents the completed work. Keep all paperwork from the restoration process, it supports your insurance claim and protects you if issues arise later.