Jonathan Holland is the owner of RestorationSOS, a California based water damage restorations firm. Jonathan talked about his inspiration for getting into the business and his successful approach for dealing helping people who have suffered sewage / water damage in their homes.

What prompted you to get into this industry and start your business?

Helping people! Assisting homeowners in times of need while doing it in the most professional way possible. Every water damage is different than the other and there is a challenge at each project to how to approach it and restore it in the fastest and best way possible. At the end of the day, to us there’s nothing more satisfying then knowing we saved one’s house and belongings and truly help to bring them back to their life.

What difficulties did you face starting the business and how did you overcome them?

The main and most important challenge was how to let homeowners and people in need of help feel safe and secure with us. In such times, when one’s belongings or house are saturated with water there’s a certain sensitivity that needs to be applied as well as assertiveness. The process needs to be clear and simple to understand as this is not the time nor place for fine print and open questions. Action needs to be taken and fast in order to prevent further damage (such as mold). To make things even easier, we can bill the homeowner’s insurance directly and have them cover for the damage should they are properly covered by one. Most important thing is to listen to the home owners, his needs and questions and make sure they feel safe and are a part of the process. Never keep them in the dark, after-all it’s their house that is being taken care of and their life which we restore.

What’s the most important place in the home to immediately check for water damage?

Best place to check after a storm or a flash flood would be your basement. A flooded basement is one of the most common water damages we see in the restoration industry, especially in the East Coast where storms, flash floods and basements are more common. Any other place would be due to a specific reason such as toilet overflow, running sink, and so on. Most important thing is to always keep an open eye. If you see wet spots on the wall or ceiling this might be a sign. Same for a mold odor at the house, this might be a sign that there’s a hidden water damage – maybe inside the walls.

What’s the most common issue that you help people with on a restoration job?

There are multiple water damage issues that are common.

We deal mostly with:

– Crawlspaces

– Storms and floods

– Sump pump failure

– Burst pipes / leaking pipes

– Malfunctioning Appliances

– Plumbing issues (where sometimes water damage can occur inside the walls)

What sets your service apart from other providers?

We provide immediate response 24/7. Our local associates react immediately and contacts the home owner within minutes form the time a request is submitted. In addition, a fully equipped restoration team is alerted and ready to be onsite within 30 – 60 minutes.

We try to put care first. We understand these are not easy times for anyone and professionalism goes a long way in the process and this is why we try to help with everything we can, not only the water damage.