Water Damage Restoration in Brooklyn, NY

What to do first when water gets into your Brooklyn home

Do these in order. None of them needs special tools.

1. Stop the water if you can. Close the shutoff valve under the sink, toilet or appliance, or the main valve for your apartment or building. If you cannot find it, the super or a porter can usually shut the water off.
2. Keep clear of electricity. If water is near outlets, light fixtures or the electrical panel, stay out of that room and do not touch switches. Call 911 if anyone is in danger.
3. Lift what you can off wet floors, such as rugs, books, electronics and small furniture. Leave heavy furniture where it is.
4. Photograph or video the damage before you clean anything up. New York's Department of Financial Services advises this after a storm, and it helps with an insurance claim.
5. Tell whoever is responsible for the building: your landlord, managing agent or super, or your co-op or condo management. 311's guidance for a leak in a building lists the same order, and a 311 complaint about an apartment leak goes to HPD.
6. Call your insurance company, and call us. The state advises you to notify your insurer first and hold off on permanent repairs until it has inspected.

Where water damage in Brooklyn comes from

The cause tells you how fast the job has to move and what has to be handled first.

• Burst or leaking pipes: supply lines in older buildings can corrode or fail, and a frozen pipe can split. DEP tells homeowners to protect their pipes and water meter from freezing.
• Radiators and steam heat: heat season runs from October 1 to May 31, according to HPD. A leaking radiator, valve or steam pipe puts water on the floor and into the ceiling below.
• The unit upstairs: in walk-ups and apartment buildings, kitchens and bathrooms are often stacked on the same vertical pipes. An overflowing tub or a failed supply line a few floors up can reach several apartments.
• Flash floods and heavy rain: after Hurricane Ida in 2021, the city reported that water came into homes through doors, windows and plumbing fixtures. Basements and garden-level apartments take it first.
• Sewer backups: when the sewer cannot keep up, water can come up through floor drains and basement fixtures. Report a backup to 311. DEP says the city maintains the sewer main and the owner maintains the private line to the building.
• Water from a fire: hoses and sprinklers soak floors and the apartments below. That water is part of fire and smoke damage restoration too.

How rowhouses, walk-ups and basements change the job

Rowhouses and brownstones share walls with their neighbors, so a stain on your wall can start in the house next door. Garden-level floors sit partly below the sidewalk, and a cellar sits lower still, so water collects there first. Older plaster walls and ceilings can feel dry on the surface and still be wet inside.

In walk-ups and larger apartment buildings, we look for every place the water went, including the apartments beside and below the leak, not only the one with the puddle.

Finished basements and garden-level apartments hold more to dry: drywall, carpet, flooring and stored belongings. For more on how water moves through Brooklyn buildings, read our guide to water damage in Brooklyn rowhouses, walk-ups and basements.

What happens after you call

1. You call or send a request. Tell us the address, what happened and where the water is. We ask a few questions about the property and the damage so the right help comes out.
2. We find every place the water got in, including ceilings, walls and floors.
3. We dry out all the affected areas. Where the job calls for it, we seal off the work area with plastic sheeting and set up drying fans.
4. Once everything is dry, the repairs begin.

Water damage and insurance in Brooklyn

GlobePro Restoration works with your insurance company. We cannot tell you what your policy covers: your insurer decides that.

If you rent, the owner's insurance is for the building. According to the state's Department of Financial Services, it does not cover a tenant's belongings, so check whether you have your own renters policy.

If you think a city sewer main or water main caused the damage, the NYC Comptroller says a notice of claim must be filed within 90 days of the incident. Its property damage claim FAQ explains how.

Where we work in Brooklyn

GlobePro Restoration has been in business since October 2012 and is based in Brooklyn. We serve all of Brooklyn, including Park Slope, Brooklyn Heights, Cobble Hill, Bedford-Stuyvesant, Crown Heights, Williamsburg, Greenpoint, Bushwick, Flatbush, Bay Ridge, Sunset Park, Borough Park, Bensonhurst, Sheepshead Bay, Coney Island, Canarsie and East New York.

We also serve the rest of New York City and the surrounding areas. For the citywide overview, see our page on water damage restoration in NYC.

Frequently asked questions

Do you answer at night and on weekends?

Yes. GlobePro Restoration is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Call (929) 969-2534 and tell us the address and what happened.

Do you work with my insurance company?

Yes. We work with your insurance company to make the process as smooth as possible. Tell your insurer about the loss early, and photograph the damage before you clean up.

What does water damage restoration cost in Brooklyn?

Every job is different, so GlobePro Restoration quotes each one individually and there is no set price list. Call or send a request, tell us what got wet and where, and we will talk it through.

Water is coming through my ceiling from the apartment above. Who do I call?

Start with your landlord, managing agent or super, or with your co-op or condo management. If it is not fixed, 311 sends apartment-leak complaints to HPD, and 911 is for immediate danger. Once the water is stopped, call us to dry out the damage.

What should I do about a sewer backup?

Report it to 311 and stay out of the water. The industry's S500 standard gives sewage as one example of Category 3, grossly contaminated water, and the EPA says not to use fans until you have determined that the water is clean or sanitary. Call us at (929) 969-2534 and we will talk through what is needed.