Plumber, Super or Restoration Crew: Who to Call First

Some situations are emergencies before they are repairs. Call 911 if there is fire or smoke, if anyone is hurt or trapped, if water is rising in a basement or ground-floor room where people are, or if water is near live electrical equipment you cannot safely shut off.

Gas smells go to 911 or the utility right away, from outside the building.

The fastest way to limit water damage is to stop the water, and you can often do it yourself. Most fixtures have a shutoff valve behind or under them, and many apartments have a valve for the whole unit.

If the leak is in the building’s pipes, a riser, or another apartment, the super is the person who can close the right valve and get into the unit above. Call the super even if you have stopped the water, so they can check whether other units are affected.

A plumber repairs the source: the burst pipe, the failed valve, the cracked fitting, the blocked drain. That is essential, but it is only half the job. Plumbers generally do not extract water from floors, dry walls to a measured standard, or document the damage for an insurance claim.

In a building, the super may send the building’s own plumber for pipes that belong to the building. In a house or for fixtures inside your unit, you call your own.

A restoration crew handles the water that already escaped: extraction, moisture mapping, removing what cannot be saved, drying walls and floors, and preventing mold. The crew also documents the damage for your insurer and, if you choose, rebuilds afterward.

Timing is the reason to call early. Water left in carpet, walls and subfloors for more than a day or two starts turning drying jobs into tear-out and mold jobs, even after the plumber has fixed the leak.

Call your insurer the same day to open a claim, and ask what they need from you. Most insurers expect you to prevent further damage, which means stopping the water and starting drying without waiting for the adjuster.

In a co-op, condo or rental building, send the managing agent written notice with photos. It creates a record of when the building was told, which matters if the damage involves the building’s pipes or other units.

For most leaks, this order limits the damage and the cost.

1. 911 if anyone is in danger or there is fire, smoke or rising water.
2. Stop the water yourself, or call the super to close the right valve.
3. Restoration crew to extract and start drying.
4. Plumber to repair the source, often while the crew is working.
5. Your insurer the same day, and the managing agent in writing.

After a fire, the fire department controls the building until it is released. Then the first calls are to your insurer and a restoration crew to board up openings and remove the firefighting water.

After a flood from outside or a sewer backup, stay out until the water stops rising and power to the area is off. Then call the restoration crew and your insurer; a plumber comes in later if the building needs a backwater valve or a drain repair.