Renters insurance, flooded basement water damage from broken wash machine pipe how to file a claim??

Hello! I have State farm ins. My pipe going to my washer broke-- flooded my basement. I have never filed an insurance claim before. Any tips would appricated. No structural damage was done--all personal stuff, w/d,liter maid, lots of books and paper items also sports collectables. How do I put a value on items that I can't easily replace?? Example--Super bowl XL ticket and program?? or Bill Cohwer/Jerome Bettes signed items, both have retired from the Steelers so getting another isn't going to be easy. Thanks for any info anyone may have.Renters insurance, flooded basement water damage from broken wash machine pipe how to file a claim??
File the claim first.. You have a contractual responsibility under your insurance policy (contract to file in a timely manner.





The will ask you a list of items damaged.. tell them you are working on getting a list together.. the memorabilia.. go on line and check pricing, order it, give them a paid receipt.. and they Will pay.. you do have a replacement cost policy.. right??





then it's new for old with a paid receipt.





as for the regular personal items.. get out the local JC Penneys, Sears, whatever and go shopping.. If you don't like to.. find a Mom, gf, etc... make a list and send them.. you must know someone that likes to shop!!books.. paperbacks.. hit amazon.com.. Also make sure you have the receipt for the repair for the broken pipe repair.. keep track of everyone's time.. Sometimes, the company will count time spent against your deductible... it's worth a shot..





Get busy.Renters insurance, flooded basement water damage from broken wash machine pipe how to file a claim??
Has it entered your mind to call your insurance agent as soon as possible and ask them what you should do? That is the first thing to do, you don't hesitate and put off calling the people that are going to help you. They get paid to service you and answer all your questions. They are going to ask you WHY you waited to call them.
Call your State Farm Insurance agent and tell them what has happened. They will file a claim on your behalf and set up a telephone conversation with an adjuster to handle your claim. You will be issued a claim number which you will write down and keep for your records. This claim number is how State Farm identifies you and your claim. The adjuster will schedule a time to come out to your residence and assess the damage. He or she will then take all of the damaged items into consideration and put a monetary value on the damage and generally a check will be issued to you. Keep in mind that what you think are valuable may not seem as valuable to the insurance company. Also, depreciation is a big factor when they assess any damage. Also, keep in mind that by filing a claim usually increases your premiums. So if your claim isn't very large you may just want to reconsider. Insurance companies usually drop or blackball anyone who files more than one water claim within a certain time frame.
First of all you need to take photos and write down an inventory of what was damaged and then contact State Farm and let them know and they will send you paper work to fill out.





As far as collectables....let them know about this and they will give you a max value on these items
Call your agent, or the local State Farm Claims Number. Don't throw anything out! Honest! Not until the adjuster says it's ok.





You'll have to make a list, and see what the stuff is currently selling for on Ebay. You'll need to print out ';completed sale'; information, not ';asking price';.
I will assume you have already reported the claim to the company. If not stop what you are doing and report it as soon as possible (either call your agent or check to see if your policy documentation came with a claim hotline number). Unless the items are a health hazard, try to refrain from throwing anything out before the insurer has a chance to inspect them (if they wish to inspect them) or at the very least take detailed photos of the items before you throw them out. Either which way you will need to provide a list of the items damaged and their replacement value. As for the value for the items themselves you will have to provide proof of the value of those items, either by presenting a receipt for the items, an estimate from a reputable company as to the cost to replace those items or even an advertisement(s) which states the cost of the item(s). For those items which have an intrinsic value, you will have to provide examples of similar items that were sold and what they were sold for, or you will have to go out and get an expert's opinion as to the value of these items at the time of the loss (you will need it in writing). The insurer can either accept this, or submit a copy of their own expert's opinion of the value, however the onus is on you to prove the value.