Disaster Recovery & Restoration,
Services in Westmont, IL

Water, fire and mold damage restoration in Westmont, IL

ServiceMaster Restoration Services provides 24/7 water damage restoration, fire and smoke cleanup, mold remediation, biohazard cleanup and cleaning for Westmont houses, condominiums, apartments and businesses. A defining local fact: nearly 45% of Westmont's occupied homes are rented, and most housing units are not single-family detached houses.

Restoration for Westmont's mix of houses, condos and apartments

Westmont's housing is a mix of houses and multi-unit buildings. ACS 2020–2024 5-year estimates count 11,526 housing units, of which only 40.8% are single-family detached homes, and 44.9% of occupied units are renter-occupied. That shapes how a water or fire loss unfolds, because damage in one unit rarely stays there.

Water from a failed supply line or overflowing tub travels down through ceilings, light fixtures and shared walls, so the unit below may notice it before the unit where it started. Smoke follows hallways, stairwells and shared ventilation. Restoration in a multi-unit building usually means checking neighboring spaces, not just the room where the problem began.

Services available in Westmont

Water damage restoration in Westmont covers extraction, moisture mapping across affected units and structural drying. When smoke has spread, fire and smoke damage restoration in Westmont addresses soot on surfaces and odor in shared spaces. Our fire damage overview explains that work in more depth, and the guide How to get smoke smell out of a house covers what actually removes odor.

Hidden moisture in wall cavities between units is a common source of growth that calls for mold remediation in Westmont. We also provide confidential biohazard cleanup in Westmont and Westmont cleaning services for residences, common areas and offices, plus commercial water damage restoration for property managers and building owners.

Who handles what in a shared building

In a condominium, responsibility for walls, pipes and finishes is split between the association and each owner according to the governing documents. In a rental, the landlord typically handles the building while tenants handle their own belongings. Reading those documents, and both insurance policies, early keeps the cleanup moving.

What causes water damage in Westmont?

Heavy, fast rain is the big one. On July 2, 2019, the National Weather Service Chicago office logged a report from a private weather station near Ogden and Cass of 3.0 inches of rain in one hour, along with media reports of a detention pond overflowing near 40th and Cass from flash flooding. During the April 2013 storm, the same office recorded 5.20 inches over two days at a site about a mile from Westmont.

That 2013 flood prompted action. According to the village's stormwater management page, Westmont formed a Community Stormwater Committee after what it calls a devastating flood in April 2013, and in spring 2015 voters approved a 0.5% sales tax dedicated to stormwater and infrastructure improvements, with collection starting that July. The village notes that its storm sewer system serves most of the community and is independent from the sanitary sewer system.

Westmont also sits at the head of a creek. A 2019 Village of Downers Grove staff report says St. Joseph Creek begins in Westmont before flowing west through Downers Grove, and that two detention basins in a Westmont subdivision overflowed during the 2013 flood.

Tracing water through a ceiling

A stain on a ceiling is usually the end of a longer path. Thermal imaging and moisture meters help restorers follow water back through joists and wall cavities so that every wet area gets dried, not just the spot that's visible.

Westmont homes by year built

The 1970s built more of Westmont than any other decade: 27.7% of housing units, according to ACS 2020–2024 5-year estimates. In all, 60.0% of units date from before 1980, and the median year built is 1976. Only 17.8% predate 1960.

That timing places much of the housing stock right around 1978, the cutoff for EPA's lead rules. The Renovation, Repair and Painting rule requires certified, lead-safe practices for paid work that disturbs paint in pre-1978 housing, and EPA states that landlords and property management companies must comply when they perform that work in rentals. For renters, it's a reasonable question to ask before damaged walls come down.

Insurance basics for renters and owners

The Insurance Information Institute points out that a landlord's policy won't replace a tenant's personal possessions or pay living expenses while a building is repaired; that is what renters insurance is for. Condo owners carry their own unit policies alongside the association's coverage. Our team works with your insurance company, and our insurance claim assistance page explains how we help document a loss.

Detention ponds and flash floods

Detention ponds hold stormwater and release it slowly. When rain falls faster than a pond can drain, it can overflow onto nearby lots and streets, which is why homes near ponds should keep belongings in basements and lower levels off the floor.

First-hour steps when water hits a Westmont condo or apartment

1. Find the source, or alert whoever can. If water is coming from above, knock on the upstairs unit and contact building management or the association right away.
2. Stop the water where possible. Close the fixture's shutoff valve or the unit's main valve; if the leak is in a common area, management may need to shut off a riser.
3. Stay clear of wet electrical fixtures. Ready.gov warns against touching electrical equipment that is wet; avoid ceiling lights and outlets near the leak.
4. Protect your belongings. Move electronics, documents and furniture away from the drip line and set out buckets or towels.
5. Document for everyone involved. Photograph the ceiling, walls and damaged items with timestamps; the association, landlord and insurers may each need copies.
6. Start drying quickly. EPA's guidance is to dry wet materials within 24–48 hours, which in a shared building often means drying more than one unit.

We also serve neighboring Downers Grove, Clarendon Hills and Darien. For water or smoke damage in Westmont, call (630) 241-1111 24/7 or send a message through our contact page.