Drying fans on a wet tile floor in a Florida home with the lower walls cut open

Independent review

Updated 25 September 2026 · 21 sources · not paid by 1-800 WATER DAMAGE

1-800 WATER DAMAGE review: who you are really hiring in Florida, what it costs, and what to check first

A fair look at a franchise restoration brand backed by BELFOR, for the day water is on the floor and you are choosing who to call.

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Call 1-800 WATER DAMAGE if

Water is on the floor now and you want a crew today.
You live in one of its eight Florida service areas.
You want mold and water cleanup from one company.

Compare first if

Your local office has a short or thin public record.
The claim is large, or your insurer questions the scope.
The paperwork says anything about assigning your insurance benefits.

Compare with a licensed local company

Pick your area and see three local water damage restoration companies next to 1-800 WATER DAMAGE. None of them pay us to be here.

Your area

Our verdict. 1-800 WATER DAMAGE is a reasonable call for a same-day dry-out if one of its eight Florida franchises covers your area. It is part of BELFOR Franchise Group, which gives it a large parent, but every location is independently owned, so the brand name tells you little about the crew. It publishes no prices, and the Florida BBB files range from A+ to an F on a Tampa Bay file that BBB ties to a missing licence. Call it, but check the local office's licence on the DBPR site and get a second written estimate before work goes past emergency drying.

At a glance

100 to 175US locations, and the sources disagree

8Florida franchises on its own list

$3,868Angi's 2026 national average, all companies

A+ to FBBB grades across four Florida files

Where it is strong

24/7 emergency service on its national line and local office pages.
Water, mold, sewage and fire cleanup under one brand, so one call can cover a leak and the mold that follows.
Backed by BELFOR Franchise Group, part of a restoration company that says it works in 34 countries.
The Naples, Ft. Myers and Cape Coral franchise holds an A+ BBB grade, and East Broward an A-.

Where to be careful

Every location is independently owned and operated, so quality depends on the local owner.
No published prices, and no cost guide we found tracks this brand's own rates.
A BBB file for 1-800 Water Damage of Tampa Bay is graded F, with the reason given as a missing required licence.
Unit counts disagree widely (about 100 to 175), and several Florida files are new, with little history to check.

How we reviewed 1-800 WATER DAMAGE: research only, nobody here has hired them, 21 public sources. Read the method

We have not hired 1-800 WATER DAMAGE, and nobody at BestHonestPro has. This review is research: the brand's own website, location list and insurance pages, BELFOR's company page, three franchise directories, Better Business Bureau files for four Florida franchises, two published cost guides and the Florida statute on assignment of benefits. We searched for state enforcement actions and consumer review averages and report what we found. We left out anything we could not trace to a source.

We have not called 1-800 WATER DAMAGE for a test quote yet. When we do, what we asked and what they said will be added here with the date.

Last checked 25 September 2026. 1-800 WATER DAMAGE is not affiliated with BestHonestPro, has not paid us, and did not see this page before it went up. 1-800 WATER DAMAGE is a trademark of its owner and is used here only to name the company.

What 1-800 WATER DAMAGE is

1-800 WATER DAMAGE is a restoration franchise. Its own site says it was founded in 2002, and it became part of BELFOR Franchise Group in 2015. The franchise group's home office is in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Its parent, BELFOR Holdings, says it is owned by its top management, has more than 14,000 staff and works in 34 countries.

The size of the network depends on who you ask. The franchise directories report 175 units (Franchise Direct, 2025 data), 156 units (Entrepreneur, 2026) and 33 units (Franchise Gator), and 1851 Franchise said more than 100 in 2023. The brand's own location list shows a little over 100. Entrepreneur also gives a founding year of 1988, which does not match the brand's own 2002.

The fact that matters most: each office page says the location is independently owned and operated. BELFOR's name is on the van, but a local franchise owner runs your job.

Source: 1-800 WATER DAMAGE, About and South Tampa contact page; BELFOR, About; Franchise BA, 1-800 WATER DAMAGE franchise; Franchise Direct; Entrepreneur; Franchise Gator; 1851 Franchise (March 2023).

What 1-800 WATER DAMAGE charges

1-800 WATER DAMAGE does not publish prices, and we found no cost guide that reports this brand's own rates. Jobs are quoted after an inspection. The figures below are national averages for water damage restoration from any company, so use them as a yardstick, not a quote.

A typical water damage job: national cost guides

Angi, 2026

$1,383 to $6,369

HomeGuide, 2026

$2,000 to $6,000

National average job	$3,868, full range $450 to $16,000 (Angi, Sep 2026)
Per square foot	$3.50 clean water, $5.25 gray water, $7.50 black water (Angi)
Typical job	$2,000 to $6,000 (HomeGuide, Feb 2026)
Water extraction	$4 to $12 per square foot (HomeGuide)
Mold remediation	$1,200 to $3,800 (Angi); $1,500 to $15,000 or more (HomeGuide)

Source: Angi, water damage restoration cost (updated 11 Sep 2026); HomeGuide, water damage restoration cost (6 Feb 2026).

HomeGuide notes that after-hours emergencies cost more but gives no figure, and the brand publishes none. Ask about any trip, inspection or after-hours charge before the crew arrives.

Source: HomeGuide, water damage restoration cost.

1-800 WATER DAMAGE, your insurer and the Florida AOB rule

The brand's insurance pages say it works with local adjusters and gives you an assessment of the damage to show your adjuster. We found no statement that it bills insurers directly, which estimating software it uses, or what deposit it asks for. Those vary by franchise, so ask.

Source: 1-800 WATER DAMAGE, insurance and restoration services; water damage insurance claims.

The Florida rule to know before you sign. For any residential property policy issued on or after 1 January 2023, Florida law says you may not assign your post-loss insurance benefits to a contractor. If your policy is older and still allows it, an emergency-services assignment is capped at the greater of $3,000 or 1% of your dwelling coverage, and you can cancel it within 14 days. Read the work authorization for any wording that assigns benefits or lets the company deal with your insurer in your place.

Source: Florida Statutes 627.7152; Florida Senate bill summary, SB 2-A (2022).

More on claims in our Florida insurance guide.

1-800 WATER DAMAGE in Florida

The brand's location list shows eight Florida franchises: East Broward (Davie), Ft. Lauderdale and Hollywood, Pompano Beach, North Orlando (Altamonte Springs), South Tampa, Sarasota and Bradenton, Naples, Ft. Myers and Cape Coral, and Jacksonville East and St. Augustine. We found none listed for Palm Beach County, the Space Coast, Tallahassee or the Panhandle. If you live there, it may not serve you at all.

Several Florida files are young. The East Broward BBB file opened in July 2026 and the Naples file in August 2023. The South Tampa office lists an address on East Fletcher Avenue. The Tampa Bay BBB file below lists different addresses (Cypress Street in Tampa and Oldsmar), so it may be a different or earlier franchise. Ask the office you call which company it is.

Source: 1-800 WATER DAMAGE, locations list and South Tampa contact page; BBB profiles for four Florida franchises. Checked 25 Sep 2026.

The complaint record, read fairly

There is no single brand-wide file to read. The BBB grades each franchise separately, and the four Florida files we found tell very different stories.

Naples, Ft. Myers and Cape Coral	A+, not accredited, file opened Aug 2023
East Broward	A-, not accredited, file opened Jul 2026 (grade held back by time in business)
North Orlando	Not rated, not enough information
Tampa Bay	F, not accredited. BBB gives the reason as failure to have a required competency licence and says Florida DBPR shows it as unlicensed. The file lists 0 complaints.

Source: BBB profiles for 1-800 Water Damage of Naples, Ft. Myers and Cape Coral; East Broward; North Orlando; Tampa Bay. Checked 25 Sep 2026.

The Tampa Bay F is about licensing, not a pile of complaints. We have not checked that licence with the DBPR ourselves, and the file may not belong to the office the brand lists today. It is still the reason to run the free DBPR licence search on whichever office you call.

We found no ConsumerAffairs or Trustpilot page with a brand-wide average, so there is no national score to report.

The record over time.

2002
Founded, by its own account. Entrepreneur's directory lists 1988, which does not match.
2005
Starts franchising, per Franchise Direct and Franchise Gator.
2015
Becomes part of BELFOR Franchise Group.
2026
No Florida Attorney General action or other state enforcement action found against the brand or a Florida franchise as of this review.

Source: 1-800 WATER DAMAGE, About; Entrepreneur; Franchise Direct; Franchise BA. Searches of news and state releases, 25 Sep 2026.

Who it suits, and who should compare

A good fit: an active leak or a wet floor inside one of its Florida service areas, when you want a crew the same day and one company for water and mold.

Get a second estimate: any large or disputed claim, any office with a new or thin BBB file, and anywhere it has no listed franchise. If there is mold, Florida requires a licensed mold assessor and a licensed remediator, and the same company may not do both on your house within 12 months. See mold after a leak and drying out after a leak.

Source: Florida DBPR, mold-related services FAQ.

What to ask before you say yes

Ask these on the phone, in this order, and ask the same questions of whoever you compare them with. The spread in the answers tells you more than the spread in the prices.

Which company owns this location, and how long has it operated in my county?
What Florida licences does this office hold? For mold, the remediator licence starts MRSR. The DBPR licence search is free, so check it while you wait.
Is there a trip, inspection or after-hours charge tonight, and what do I owe if I say no?
Does anything in this contract assign my insurance benefits? My policy was issued on (date).
Will I get a line-item written estimate before work goes past emergency drying?
Will I get daily moisture readings, drying logs, photos and an equipment count?
If my insurer pays less than your invoice, who owes the difference, and can you file a lien on my house?

Local alternatives in Florida

We list local water damage restoration companies for eight Florida metros, each checked against the state licence register where a number was available. Get one written estimate from them alongside the 1-800 WATER DAMAGE franchise's and compare them line by line.

No company pays to be listed on those pages or to rank higher. Each listing links to its own licence check and sources.

Right of reply

1-800 WATER DAMAGE, or the owner of any 1-800 WATER DAMAGE location, can correct a fact on this page. Email [email protected] with the fact and a source. We check it and publish the correction here with its date.

Where this comes from

Every figure above is published by the organisation named beside it. Nothing on this page is our own estimate, and where sources disagree we show both.

Show all 21 sources