Are Large Water Losses More Likely In Commercial Properties?

5/12/2022 (Permalink)

Commercial Properties Suffer Large Losses More Frequently Than Residential. Can You Guess Why?

The short answer here is yes.

This is partly due to commercial structures being so much larger than the average home. Commercial buildings constructed since the year 2000 in the US have an average size of 19,000sqft. The average American home constructed since the year 2000 is 2,261sqft. The vast difference in sizes between a commercial structure and a residential structure is a huge factor in the restoration industry.              More space = more space that can be damaged by water, fire, or any other damages.

Also, commercial properties have more pipes for multiple bathrooms and even multiple kitchens. The hours a commercial structure is occupied also plays a part, usually a commercial building is closed at night. Water damage happens all around the clock, night, morning, and afternoon.

The numbers: The average cost of a water loss in a commercial structure is $24,000 dollars, the average cost of a water loss in a residential home is $7,000. Quite a bit of a difference huh?

A large loss in the restoration world is considered anything that surpasses $50,000. You can see from the numbers that it is much easier for a commercial building to surpass that amount quickly as opposed to a residential property. Overall water losses costs nationwide total in the Billions of dollars and are climbing.

SERVPRO specializes in large loss disaster response as well as residential single family losses. Never hesitate to call a pro if water has affected your home or business!