A water loss checklist for small businesses and property managers
A water loss in a business has two jobs happening at once: stop the damage to the building and keep the business running as far as possible. The first job is the same as in a house. The second is where people lose time, because nobody wrote down who to call. This checklist is meant to be printed and taped inside a cabinet.
The checklist, by time
| When | Task | Who |
|---|---|---|
| First 15 minutes | Get people out of any area where water has reached electrical equipment. Shut off the water to the fixture or the building. | Whoever is on site |
| First 15 minutes | Shut down computers and equipment in wet areas. Do not run them. | Staff, if safe |
| First hour | Call the water extraction crew. Call the property manager or landlord. Call your insurer. | Owner or manager |
| First hour | Photograph and video the water, the source and the damage before anything is moved. | Anyone |
| First hour | Lift inventory, paper files and computers up off the floor, to shelves or tables. | Staff |
| First day | Mark wet areas on a floor plan. Note which units or rooms are affected. | Crew and manager |
| First day | Tell tenants, staff and customers what is closed and when you will update them. | Owner or manager |
| First day | List damaged contents and equipment, with approximate value. | Owner |
| First week | Keep a copy of the moisture log, photos and receipts in one folder. | Owner or manager |
| First week | Confirm with the insurer and the landlord what the next step is. | Owner or manager |
Before anything happens: a one-page plan
The best time to write this down is when it is dry. Put one sheet of paper where staff can find it, with the location of the water main and the shutoff for each section of the building, the breaker panel, the phone numbers for your insurer, the landlord, a plumber and a water extraction company, and a short list of what to move first: the files, the computers, the stock on the bottom shelf. Walk through it once with the people who open and close.
Water loss at the shop or office?
Start with the address and what is wet. We tell you what the first visit looks like.
Call (301) 786-0888A small kit worth keeping on site
It does not need to be much: a flashlight and spare batteries, a roll of heavy plastic and tape, rubber gloves, a phone charger, a marker and notepad, the shutoff keys or tools for your building, and a printed copy of the contact list. Keep it where staff can reach it without a key. Brief new employees on where the main shutoff is during their first week. A person who knows which valve to turn is worth more than a binder of procedures nobody reads.
Tenants, landlords and shared walls
In a leased space, the lease decides who controls the building, who reports a loss and who pays for what. Read the water and insurance clauses before you need them. After a loss, tell the landlord at once, because a leak in your unit may start upstairs, and water in your unit may be reaching the one next door. For property managers, the first step on a multi-unit loss is to check every unit that shares a wall, a ceiling or a riser, since a unit that looks dry may be wet inside the wall.
Documents your insurer and landlord may ask for
- Photos and video taken before any cleanup.
- Moisture readings and a drying log with dates.
- A list of materials removed, by room.
- Equipment logs showing what ran and when.
- An inventory of damaged contents with receipts or values.
- Records of lost time or sales, if you carry business interruption coverage.
We keep the readings, photos and equipment logs as part of the job. The rest comes from you.
Deciding whether to stay open
That depends on three things: whether the water is clean, how big the wet area is and whether the air is safe. Clean water in one back room can often be handled while the front is open. Gray or black water, a large footprint or visible mold usually means the space has to close. Food businesses have health rules of their own, so ask your local health department before reopening. We will tell you what we see and what the drying plan is, and you make the call with your landlord and insurer.
Commercial water damage restoration shows how the work is phased around an occupied space, emergency water extraction describes the first visit, and structural drying explains why large floors and slabs set the schedule. Our page for Burtonsville describes how water moves around a crossroads of small businesses.
Business losses we handle
- Commercial Water Damage Restoration Phased work around an occupied space.
- Emergency Water Extraction Pumps and extractors for the first visit.
- Structural Drying & Dehumidification Why large floors set the schedule.
Local note: see our page for Burtonsville. It covers older drainage around small crossroads businesses.
More for business owners
- October 14, 2026The first hour after a pipe bursts: what to do and what to avoid
- September 3, 2026Homeowners insurance and water damage in Maryland: what is often covered