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Making your home habitable

 
Before you re-occupy your home you should:

inform your insurance company…

Find out exactly what your insurance company will pay for. You may be entitled to assistance with temporary accommodation, drying apparatus, electricity and gas inspections. They may appoint a builder to repair the damage or you may be asked to obtain competitive quotes from several other companies.

remove all standing water…

The fire service can provide a pumping out service (for which a charge may be made) or you can rent a pump from a hire shop or even buy one from a DIY store. Drain the water away in stages, removing roughly a third of the water daily. This will help avoid problems with water pressure on the structure of your property. Do not heat your home to more than
4 degrees centigrade until all standing water is removed.

clear away any mud…

Shovel as much away as possible and use a garden hose or sprayer to wash the remaining mud away. If there is mud on the inside and outside of your walls, remove this in stages to ensure the loading remains even.

clean and disinfect…

Scrub surfaces and difficult areas, such as gaps under kitchen units, with a heavy duty detergent and disinfect food preparation surfaces, equipment, containers, utensils, crockery and cutlery. Most germs need water to survive, so after rinsing allow all disinfected and cleaned areas to dry out.

dry out your property…

After checking your mains supplies and appliances are in full working order, use the central heating system, setting the thermostat at 22 degrees centigrade, to dry out your property. If possible, use industrial heaters, fans and dehumidifiers to aid the process. Good ventilation is essential to let moisture escape so keep doors and windows open on dry days, and ajar during on wet weather. Drying times will vary according to factors such as the duration of the flood. With acute flooding you may find it takes months rather than weeks to dry out.

A to Z of Services

Environment & planning

About Greenwich

Floodline

  • 0845 988 1188

Further information