How to Start Your Own Water Damage Restoration Business the Right Way?

Answer 1

Beginning your own water damage restoration business can be very rewarding. However, you must make sure that you know what requirements are necessary before beginning this adventure to insure that it is successful. As with any business the number one thing that you can do to help build your company’s reputation within your area is to make sure that you handle all of your business transactions in a professional manner.

Needs for Starting Your Own Water Damage Restoration Business

Starting your own water damage restoration business requires more than just wanting to open a shop. There are some special requirements and steps that you must first complete. This includes:

1. Determining if this will be a beneficial service in your area. If there are other water damage restoration companies in your area, you want to investigate on whether there are services that are not provide that you can provide through your business. Some examples would include flood work, restoration for fire damage, smoke and odor elimination, sanitization, water extraction, crawl space drying, dehumidification, sewage cleanups, removal of debris, flood work and carpet cleaning services and repairs. You may also want to consider offering your customers 24-hour service if there is a lot of competition in the area.

2. Get any necessary certifications and training that you may need. Set up training and certification sessions as well for any contractor who will be working for you. To be acceptable the training session must be trained and taught by a person or organization that is approved by the Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certificate, which is a non-profit cortication body specializing in water damage restoration. Other certification programs that should be earned include the Water Damage Restoration Technician Certification, the Odor Control Technician Certification, the Upholstery and Fabric Cleaning Technician Certification and the Fire and Smoke Damage Restoration Technician Certification.

3. Before you can begin your business, you will need to purchase your business license from the County Clerks office in your area. You will want to inquire with them on whether or not a building permit is necessary for doing this type of work. Purchasing liability insurance and bond coverage for your business can save you a great deal of time and money, especially in the event that a client was to file any type of lawsuit against you and your employees.

4. You will need to purchase the necessary equipment for performing the services that you are offering to your customers. Most water damage restoration companies need large commercial sized equipment such as dehumidifiers, odor foggers, air scrubbers, water extractors, fast dryer fans and carpet cleaning machines. You can purchase these items new through your local commercial cleaning supply company or online. You can purchase used items rather reasonably through online websites and auction sites that deal with these machines.

5. You will need to obtain a commercial vehicle that can be used for hauling all of this equipment from one job to another. For special touches, you can have the name of your business and logo painted on the sides of the vehicle.

6. Advertise your business. You can do this by purchasing advertising space in your local newspapers, online at free business directory sites or through websites such as Craigslist.com. You can also inquire with local insurance companies to ask if they will help spread your name with their clients in the event that they may need these types of services.