What a water damage restoration company in Houston actually does
Picking a water damage restoration company in Houston usually happens fast, at a bad moment, with water still in the house. A few checks keep that hurry from turning into a contract you regret.
A restoration company is not a plumber and not a roofer. The plumber stops the leak; the restoration company handles the water that already got in. A typical job starts with an inspection and moisture readings, then water extraction, removal of materials that cannot be saved (often carpet pad, the bottom of drywall and swollen baseboards), drying with air movers and dehumidifiers, cleaning and, when needed, sanitizing. Many companies follow the IICRC S500 standard, a published industry standard that sorts water by how contaminated it is and spells out how to dry a building.
Some companies also do the rebuild: new drywall, paint, flooring and cabinets. Others hand that part to a general contractor. Mold work is a separate trade in Texas with its own state license, covered below.
Knowing what the job involves helps you judge the answers you get. A company that cannot explain its plan in plain words, or will not put it in writing, is telling you something.
This site does not rank, review or recommend restoration companies, and it never names one. The free line connects you with an independent local company; everything on this page applies to that company exactly as it applies to any other. See how the line works for what happens when you call.
The checklist: questions to ask before you sign
You do not need every answer before emergency water removal starts, especially if water is still spreading. You do want them before you agree to the full job and before anything is torn out beyond what stops more damage.
About the company
- What is the company's legal name, local street address and phone number? Verify them yourself, and note whether the company is actually based in the area.
- Who will do the work: the company's own employees or subcontractors?
- Does the company carry general liability insurance and workers' compensation? Ask for a certificate of insurance and check it with the insurer named on it.
- Can it give references from recent jobs you can call?
About training and licenses
- Does anyone on the job hold IICRC certification, and does the firm hold the IICRC's firm certification? If yes, check it yourself (how to, below).
- If mold is involved, what are the TDLR license numbers for the mold assessment consultant and the separate mold remediation contractor?
About the work and the price
- Will you get a written estimate and a scope of work listing what will be removed, what will be dried and what will be replaced?
- How will moisture be measured, how often, and what readings count as dry?
- What happens if hidden damage turns up? How will changes to the price be approved?
- Who handles the rebuild, and is it priced separately?
- What payment is due and when? What warranty terms come with the work, in writing?
Not sure what to ask first? Call the free line at any hour. You will be transferred to an independent local restoration company, and you can ask it every question on this list before you agree to anything.
How to verify what a company tells you
Credentials only mean something if you check them at the source. These lookups are free and take a few minutes.
IICRC certification
The Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification certifies individual technicians and certifies firms. Its own IICRC Global Locator, linked from iicrc.org, lets you look up certified firms and technicians, and the IICRC says each location of a multi-location business must be certified on its own to appear. It also publishes an Invalid Firms list of companies that used its logo without being registered Certified Firms.
TDLR mold licenses
Texas licenses mold assessment and mold remediation through the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation. Ask for the license numbers and search them on the TDLR license search. Texas rules keep the assessor and the remediator on the same project separate.
Complaints and history
Search the company's legal name with words like "complaint" and read reviews across more than one site. You can also look it up with the Better Business Bureau, and the Texas Attorney General takes consumer complaints. A pattern of the same complaint matters more than one angry review.
Mold work has its own Texas license
A water leak that sat for days in Houston's humid air may come with mold. In Texas, TDLR licenses mold assessment and mold remediation. In most cases visible mold under 25 contiguous square feet can be cleaned by people without a license. Larger jobs generally call for a licensed mold assessment consultant, who writes a remediation protocol for the project, and a licensed mold remediation contractor, who does the work. The same person or company may not be both on the same project.
When a licensed remediator finishes, it gives the owner a Certificate of Mold Damage Remediation within 10 days. Only a licensed remediator can issue that certificate. If a company offers to both test and remove the mold on one job, ask how that squares with Texas rules. The mold remediation and mold inspection and testing pages explain the steps.
Check the mold license first. In Texas, mold assessment and mold remediation are licensed by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR). In most cases visible mold under 25 contiguous square feet can be cleaned by people without a license; larger jobs generally call for a licensed mold assessment consultant to write the remediation protocol and a separate licensed mold remediation contractor to do the work. Ask for both license numbers and look them up on the TDLR license search (opens in a new tab). The line does not check licenses for you.
Contracts, insurance papers and payment red flags
Most trouble after a water loss comes from paperwork signed in a hurry. Slow down for these, even if the crew is waiting.
Red flags
- A demand for full payment, or a large cash deposit, before work begins, or a request to pay in cash.
- A contract with blank spaces that could be filled in later.
- Wording that ties the price to your insurance money, such as agreeing to the repairs "for the value of the insurance proceeds," with no itemized price. Ask your insurer before you sign anything like it.
- An offer to waive, cover or rebate your deductible. TDI says that is against Texas law.
- A contractor who offers to negotiate your claim or file it for you. TDI says a contractor doing the work may not act as your public adjuster.
- Pressure to sign now, or a door-to-door pitch right after a storm.
Better signs
- A written estimate and scope you can read before you sign.
- A clear payment schedule with the final payment due when the job is finished and you are satisfied.
- Payment by check or credit card, which leaves a record.
- Moisture readings and photos shared with you as the job goes.
- Copies of everything you sign, including warranty terms.
- Patience while you call your insurer before signing anything about your claim.
Papers that mention your insurance benefits
Some contractors ask homeowners to sign a form that assigns insurance benefits to the company, lets it be paid directly from your claim, or makes it a co-payee on your check. Rules for these agreements differ by state and by policy. Do not sign one without reading every line, and call your insurer first to ask what it means for your claim, whether your policy allows it and who would control the payment.
Texas rules after a disaster
When a contractor comes in from out of the area after a disaster, Texas law adds protection. TDI summarizes it this way: a contractor who has not kept a physical address in the county of the damaged property, or a neighboring county, for at least a year generally may not require full or partial payment under a disaster remediation contract before starting work, and must include a specific statutory notice in the contract. These rules are in Chapter 58 of the Texas Business and Commerce Code. Under Texas law you can also cancel a contract signed with a door-to-door salesperson within three days, according to the Attorney General. The Attorney General has warned Texans about repair and cleanup scams after storms such as Hurricane Harvey.
Are water restoration companies worth it?
Honestly, not every wet floor needs one. A cup of clean water from an overflowing sink, wiped up within minutes, is a towel job. A company earns its bill when water reached places you cannot see or dry: inside walls, under vinyl plank or tile, inside cabinet bases, under the carpet pad or across a slab. Without moisture meters you cannot know when those areas are dry, and in Houston's climate a wall closed up wet can turn into a mold problem.
It is also worth calling a company when the water was dirty. Sewage backups and floodwater are Category 3 water under the IICRC S500 standard, which means materials it soaked are usually removed and workers need protective gear. And it matters when you plan to file an insurance claim, since moisture logs, photos and an itemized scope help your insurer see what was damaged. Ask your insurer what documentation it wants.
The value depends on the company doing careful, documented work for a fair, written price. That is why the checks above matter more than any ad or ranking. For prices, read the water damage restoration cost guide; for coverage questions, the homeowners insurance guide.
Water still coming in? Safety and stopping the water come before any vetting. Read the first 48 hours guide, close the main shutoff if it is safe to reach, and keep away from water near outlets and appliances.
How the free line fits in
Water Damage Pro Houston answers at any hour and transfers your call to an independent, locally owned restoration company that takes calls for your part of greater Houston. The line does not inspect, quote, license, certify or vouch for that company. It is your choice whether to hire it, and you can ask it every question on this page, check its credentials yourself and get other bids. Your payment goes to the company, never to the line, and a restoration company may pay the line a fee for each referral.
- Dial the numberAn automated assistant picks up (832) 662-4107 at any hour, holidays included.
- Say what happenedA burst pipe, a flood, a roof or appliance leak, a sewage backup or mold, whether water is still coming in, and where in greater Houston you are.
- Get connectedYour call is transferred to an independent, locally owned water damage restoration company, which hears a short summary first.
- Work with that companyIt inspects, quotes, does the work and bills you or your insurer as you arrange. If it misses the call, it gets your name, number, area and problem to call you back.
Related pages
- Water Damage Restoration in Houston
- Water Damage Repair
- Mold Remediation in Houston
- Water Damage Restoration Cost
- Does Homeowners Insurance Cover Water Damage?
- What to Do in the First 24 to 48 Hours
About this line: Water Damage Pro Houston is a free phone line, not a restoration company. It answers your call and connects you with an independent local water damage restoration company, which inspects, quotes and does the work, and which you pay directly. Companies may pay a referral fee. The line never charges you. Read how the line works.