The First 24 Hours After a Commercial Water Loss

Hour One: Safety and the Source

Before anything else, make the area safe and stop more water arriving.

• Do not enter standing water where power may still be on
• Shut off the water source if the valve is known and safe to reach
• Cut power to affected areas at the panel
• Move people out of affected space and control access
• Call the fire protection contractor if a sprinkler discharged

If there is any doubt about electrical safety or structural stability, keep everyone out and wait for qualified help.

Hours One to Four: Record and Notify

Documentation is easiest before anyone starts cleaning up.

• Photograph and video everything, wide shots and close-ups
• Note the discovery time and who found it
• Notify the insurance carrier and the property manager
• Notify affected tenants with a clear, factual message
• Start a simple log of who did what and when

Assign one person to own the record. Shared responsibility usually means no record at all.

Hours Four to Twenty-Four: Limit the Damage

Mitigation runs in parallel with the paperwork.

• Begin water extraction
• Move contents, stock, records and electronics out of the wet zone
• Set drying equipment and containment
• Remove saturated materials that cannot be saved
• Protect openings with tarping or board-up if the envelope is breached
• Plan the next day around tenants and operations

By the end of day one the building should be stable, documented and drying, even if it is nowhere near repaired.

The Expensive Mistakes

These are the ones that show up repeatedly on commercial losses.

• Waiting for the adjuster before starting mitigation
• Discarding damaged items before photographing them
• Running the HVAC before checking whether it spreads contamination
• Using shop vacuums on a loss that needs commercial extraction
• Assuming a space is dry because the surface feels dry
• Telling tenants the building is fine before it has been assessed

Each of these is avoidable with a written plan that on-site staff can actually follow at 2am.

Common Questions

Who should be on the emergency contact list?

Restoration contractor, plumber, fire protection contractor, electrician, insurance agent, property manager and the primary tenant contacts.

What if the loss is found on a weekend?

Act the same way. Commercial restoration is a 24/7 business, and waiting until Monday routinely multiplies the cost.

Should we tell tenants right away?

Yes, factually: what happened, what areas are affected, what is being done, and when you will next update them.

How do we prepare before it ever happens?

Know where the shutoffs are, keep a current photo record of the building, and agree a response plan with a restoration contractor in advance.