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 BELFOR Property Restoration

BELFOR Property Restoration review: a big-loss specialist, and what that means for your house

A fair look at the world's largest restoration company, for Florida homeowners deciding whether it is the right size for their leak.

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Call BELFOR Property Restoration if

The loss is large: a whole floor, a condo stack, or storm damage with a rebuild behind it.
Your insurer or condo association already works with BELFOR.
You want a company that runs its own offices, not a franchise, and one of its Florida offices covers you.

Compare first if

It is a small leak in one room, where a local restorer may respond faster and cost less.
You want a price before anyone starts: BELFOR publishes none.
The contract 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 BELFOR Property Restoration. None of them pay us to be here.

Your area

Our verdict. BELFOR calls itself the largest restoration company in the world. It has been owned since 2019 by the private equity firm American Securities, and it runs its own offices rather than selling franchises under the BELFOR name. It has about ten Florida offices, from Miami to Pensacola, holds a Florida general contractor licence, and is built for large and commercial losses such as hotels, campuses and storm catastrophes. For a homeowner that means capacity after a hurricane, but no published prices, a public review average of 2.3 of 5 on Trustpilot and an F grade on the BBB file for its U.S. head office. Use BELFOR for a big insured loss if your insurer or association already works with it, and get a second written estimate from a local IICRC-certified restorer for anything smaller.

At a glance

150+Full-service offices in North America (2024)

10Florida offices on its 2024 office list

2.3 of 5Trustpilot average, 117 reviews

FBBB grade, U.S. head office file

Where it is strong

Company-run offices rather than franchises under the BELFOR name, so the brand is responsible for the crew that comes.
About ten Florida offices on its 2024 list, including Miami, Palm Beach, Fort Myers, Tampa, Orlando and Jacksonville, each with a 24/7 line.
Florida offices list a certified general contractor licence and IICRC certification, so drying and rebuild can sit with one firm.
Deep capacity for storm catastrophes and large losses, with contents, document and electronics restoration in-house.

Where to be careful

No published prices, and no brand-specific figures in any cost guide we found.
An average of 2.3 of 5 across 117 Trustpilot reviews, 75% one star, with delays and poor communication the main themes.
The BBB file for its U.S. head office in Michigan is graded F for failing to respond to two complaints.
Its focus is large and commercial work, so a single-room leak may not get priority after a storm.

How we reviewed BELFOR Property Restoration: research only, nobody here has hired them, 21 public sources. Read the method

We have not hired BELFOR, and nobody at BestHonestPro has. This review is research: BELFOR's own US site, office pages and 2024 office list, American Securities' portfolio page, trade press on the 2019 sale, Better Business Bureau files for the U.S. head office and two Florida offices, Trustpilot, published cost guides from Angi and HomeGuide, federal and state court records, and Florida law on assignment of benefits and mold licensing. We read patterns across complaints rather than quoting single angry customers, and we left out anything we could not trace to a source.

We have not called BELFOR Property Restoration 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. BELFOR Property Restoration is not affiliated with BestHonestPro, has not paid us, and did not see this page before it went up. BELFOR Property Restoration is a trademark of its owner and is used here only to name the company.

What BELFOR is

BELFOR traces back to 1946 in Michigan and its U.S. head office is in Birmingham, Michigan. It describes itself as a $3 billion company working in 34 countries with more than 14,000 staff. The private equity firm American Securities bought BELFOR Holdings in 2019 and lists it as a current investment.

One disagreement to know about: an older BELFOR page still says the company has been owned by its top management since 2007. The 2019 sale to American Securities is confirmed by the buyer and by trade press, so we treat that page as out of date.

BELFOR's own restoration offices are company-run. Separately, it owns BELFOR Franchise Group, 14 franchise brands including 1-800 WATER DAMAGE and Z PLUMBERZ, which are franchises and a different business from the BELFOR offices.

Services that matter after a leak: water extraction and drying, mold remediation, storm recovery, contents and document restoration, and reconstruction.

Source: BELFOR, About; American Securities, BELFOR portfolio page; Restoration and Remediation Magazine, 29 Apr 2019.

What BELFOR charges

BELFOR does not publish prices, and its water damage page gives no billing or deposit details. We found no brand-specific price in any cost guide, so the figures below are national industry averages, useful only as a yardstick for your written estimate.

A water damage job: published national ranges

Angi, typical job

$1,383 to $6,369

HomeGuide, typical job

$2,000 to $6,000

Angi, full range

$450 to $16,000

National average job	$3,868 (Angi, updated Sep 2026)
Per square foot	$3.50 clean water, $5.25 gray water, $7.50 black water (Angi)
Water extraction	$4 to $12 per square foot (HomeGuide, Feb 2026)
Mold remediation	$1,200 to $3,800, average $2,225 (Angi)

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

Ask how equipment is billed. A 2021 proposed class action in Michigan alleged BELFOR marked up rented equipment to several times its cost. That is an allegation, not a finding, and we could not find how the case ended. It is still a fair question: ask for equipment rates per day in writing.

BELFOR, your insurer and the Florida AOB rule

BELFOR's South Florida office says it has been recognised by Contractor Connection, an insurer contractor network, which tells you it does insurer-referred work. Ask whether your carrier has a programme with BELFOR, and who pays if the carrier approves less than the invoice.

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: BELFOR South Florida office page; Florida Statutes 627.7152; Florida Senate bill summary, SB 2-A (2022).

More on claims in our Florida insurance guide and storm water or flood.

BELFOR in Florida

Florida presence is solid for a company-run brand. BELFOR's 2024 North American office list shows ten Florida offices: Destin, Fort Myers, Jacksonville, Miami, Ocala, Orlando, Palm Beach, South Florida (Deerfield Beach), Tallahassee and Tampa. Its site also has a Pensacola office page. The Deerfield Beach office covers Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach and Monroe counties.

The Tampa and Orlando office pages list Florida certified general contractor licence CGC046432 and IICRC certification. The Tampa BBB file lists a second CGC licence. Check any licence on the free DBPR search, and ask for the mold remediator (MRSR) licence if mold is involved: we did not see one listed.

The Orlando office says it mainly serves hotels, theme parks and universities as well as homeowners. That is the honest picture: BELFOR is geared to big losses.

Source: BELFOR, North American offices list (Aug 2024); BELFOR Tampa, Orlando, South Florida and Pensacola office pages; BBB, Belfor Property Restoration (Tampa). Checked 25 Sep 2026.

The complaint and court record, read fairly

BELFOR's BBB files are split by office. The U.S. head office file in Michigan is graded F because two complaints went unanswered. The Tampa office is graded A. None of the files we checked is accredited.

BBB, U.S. head office (Birmingham, MI)	F, not accredited, 3 complaints in 3 years, 2 unanswered
BBB, Tampa office	A, not accredited, 2 complaints
BBB, Orlando office	Not rated (not enough information)
Trustpilot average	2.3 of 5 (117 reviews, 75% one star)

Source: BBB profiles for Belfor USA Group (Birmingham, MI), Belfor Property Restoration (Tampa) and Belfor USA Group (Orlando); Trustpilot. Checked 25 Sep 2026.

Review sites draw unhappy customers more than happy ones, so treat the average as a pattern, not a verdict. The repeated complaints are scheduling delays, messages that go unanswered, and repairs that had to be redone. The repeated praise names individual staff who were quick and professional and help with the insurance claim.

Court record we found. No state Attorney General action against BELFOR turned up.

2014
Washington Court of Appeals upholds dismissal of homeowners' consumer protection suit over smoke cleaning, because they had already settled the same claim with their insurer. The court did not rule on the quality of the work.
2021
Hatcher Investments v. Belfor USA Group filed in federal court in Michigan as a proposed class action alleging equipment rental markups. Allegations only. We could not find a public outcome.
2025
In Rodriguez v. Belfor USA Group, a federal court in California gives preliminary approval to a $1.6 million settlement with more than 600 hourly workers over breaks and overtime. This is an employment case, not a customer one.

Source: Washington Court of Appeals, Pinney v. Belfor USA Group, 20 Oct 2014; ClassAction.org, 2021; Bloomberg Law, 22 May 2025.

Who it suits, and who should compare

A good fit: a large insured loss, a condo building, or storm damage with a rebuild behind it, especially when your insurer or association already uses BELFOR.

Get a second estimate: a leak confined to one or two rooms, any job where you pay part of the bill yourself, and any disputed claim. Ask an independent IICRC-certified restorer for a written estimate too. 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.

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 BELFOR office would run my job, and who is my single project manager?
What Florida contractor licence number is on my contract? (Check it free on the DBPR licence search.)
If there is mold, what is your MRSR remediator licence number, and who is doing the independent assessment?
Does anything in this contract assign my insurance benefits? My policy was issued on (date).
How is equipment billed, per day and per unit, and can I see the rates in writing before it is set up?
Can I see the line-item estimate before work goes past emergency drying, and what do I owe if my insurer pays less?
Will I get daily moisture readings, drying logs and photos?

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. For a smaller leak especially, get one written estimate from them alongside BELFOR'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

BELFOR Property Restoration, or the owner of any BELFOR Property Restoration 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