Water Damage, Mold and other Practical Concerns

This is slightly off topic, but in my probate practice, I frequently deal with practical issues that arise from or near in time to a loved one’s passing. Probate is far from the only issue most clients are dealing with after a loss. To the extent I can, I will connect my clients to trustworthy professionals or appropriate services to help them through issues beyond the scope of my services.

One particularly memorable example of a practical issue in one of my probate cases is a client who had flooding in their home. Despite calling the insurance company daily, it took far too long to obtain approval for a water restoration service to come out. By then, the floors, walls, furniture, EVERYTHING was completely infested with mold. The insurance company refused to cover the mold damage. My client also lost their spouse around this time.

It is hard enough to grieve a loss without having to figure out how to plan a funeral, hire a probate attorney, hire an insurance attorney, completely gut your walls down to the studs, throw out all of your belongings, install new floors, and keep up day-to-day expenses all at the same time. Had this client been connected with someone in the water restoration industry sooner, they would have been in a much better position.

I was talking to Larry Mitchell with All Dry of San Antonio this week and it happens that he recently posted an article explaining what to do when there is water damage. I wanted to share it in the hopes that someone may be spared the stress my client experienced. What To Do After A Water Damage Problem – All Dry Services of SATX (alldryteamsatx.com). If you have a leak or flooding in your home, please call someone like Larry who can take care of you QUICKLY before things spiral out of control. Also, if you find that your insurance company is not responsive enough, consider contacting an independent insurance agent like Allison Lynch with My Insurance Group who can go to bat for you instead of leaving you on hold with a 1-800 number. To be clear, I receive no financial benefit from referring these professionals. This is just one of many examples of how I can connect clients with someone I personally know and trust to take care of the clients’ needs.

Photo by Austin Kehmeier on Unsplash