How to check a water damage restoration company in Orlando

CFDR is a referral service, not a neutral rating site: it matches callers only with companies in its own network. Use these checks on any company, including one CFDR sends.

There is no official ranking of Orlando restoration companies, so check the company, not the ad. In five minutes you can verify a Florida license at myfloridalicense.com, an IICRC Certified Firm at iicrc.org and a certificate of insurance; then get a written, itemized estimate before work starts and read the work authorization before you sign. Or call or text CFDR at 321-420-7274 and Ryan matches you with a restoration company from CFDR's network.

How do I check a restoration company's license in Florida?

Search the company's name or license number on the Florida DBPR license search. Check that the license is current and active and that the name matches the one on the estimate.

Florida requires a licensed Mold Assessor (MRSA) to assess, and a licensed Mold Remediator (MRSR) to remove, mold growth larger than 10 square feet; the company that assesses a home generally may not remediate it within 12 months (ss. 468.8411, 468.8419). Florida's mold rules in full →

Rebuild work needs a Chapter 489 contractor license. Which drying and mitigation tasks need one is UNVERIFIED, so ask the company what license covers each part of the job and look that number up.

Statutes behind the mold rule: s. 468.8411 and s. 468.8419.

What does IICRC certified mean, and how do I verify it?

The IICRC (Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification) sets training and standards for the cleaning and restoration industry and certifies both technicians and firms. It is not a government agency. To check a company, look up its Certified Firm status with the IICRC Certified Firm verification or search the IICRC global locator, and ask for the firm number.

Technician certifications you may see on a card or a truck:

WRT: Water Damage Restoration Technician

Extraction, structural drying, moisture mapping and the IICRC S500 water damage standard.

ASD: Applied Structural Drying

Drying wall cavities, floors and structural assemblies to the S500 standard.

AMRT: Applied Microbial Remediation Technician

Training in microbial remediation work. A course certificate is not a Florida mold license.

FSRT: Fire and Smoke Restoration Technician

Soot and smoke chemistry, dry and wet cleaning, and odor control.

A technician certificate is held by a person. A Certified Firm is the business. Check both if the company claims both.

What am I signing? Work authorizations, liens and equipment-day bills

A work authorization is a contract. On an insurance job, Florida bars a contractor from giving you one without a good-faith, itemized estimate (s. 489.147(2)(e)). Read who pays if the insurer pays less than the bill, and how equipment days are counted.

Under Florida's construction lien law, contractors, subcontractors and suppliers who aren't paid can claim a lien on your property, even if you paid your contractor in full. For a direct contract over $2,500 on a home of up to four units, the contract must carry a notice telling you to require a written release of lien from anyone who sent you a "Notice to Owner" before you pay (s. 713.015).

Subcontractors and suppliers who want lien rights must serve a Notice to Owner no later than 45 days after they start work (s. 713.06(2)(a)). A Notice to Owner is not a lien; it tells you who else is working on the job.

If an invoice looks inflated, ask for the moisture logs and equipment-day records behind each line, and put your dispute in writing. The statute itself says Florida's lien law is complex and recommends consulting an attorney (s. 713.015).

An assignment of benefits is void on policies issued on or after Jan 1, 2023 (s. 627.7152(13)), so a contractor can't take over your claim.

What should I ask before I sign?

• Is there a written, itemized estimate before work starts? On an insurance job, Florida bars a contractor from giving you a work authorization without a good-faith itemized estimate (s. 489.147(2)(e)).
• Can I see a current certificate of insurance (see s. 627.7142)?
• Who will be on site, and are they employees or subcontractors?
• Will you keep a daily drying log and an equipment-day count, and give me a copy?
• What deposit and payment terms are in the work authorization, and who pays if my insurer pays less than the bill?
• Does the paperwork ask me to assign my insurance benefits? An assignment of benefits is void on policies issued on or after January 1, 2023 (s. 627.7152(13)).

Who answers, who does the work, and who do I contract with?

The answer depends on the type of provider. These are types, not names.

Verify the specific company with the checks above.

Red flags: when should I walk away?

• Someone knocks on your door after a storm and says they were already in the neighborhood.
• The company offers to waive or discount your insurance deductible.
• Cash only, or a big payment before any written scope exists.
• A blank or incomplete work authorization put in front of you to sign.
• Pressure to sign now, with no time to read it.
• No written, itemized scope or estimate.

Sources: Florida CFO anti-fraud release, s. 489.147(2)(b) and (e) and s. 627.7152(13).

How is CFDR different?

Ryan adds companies to the network himself; check any company with the steps above.