How to Choose the Best Water Damage Restoration Company in Fort Lauderdale
Choose a water damage restoration company in Fort Lauderdale by checking six things on the first call: standards, licenses, how drying is measured, the written scope, billing terms and response time. Restoration Doctor of South Florida answers each below. Its Florida Google listing showed 5.0 from 610 reviews on October 24, 2026. Phone: (786) 213-9489.
5.0 from 610 Google reviews on our Florida listing, as of October 24, 2026.
Showing 4- and 5-star reviews. See all reviews on Google.
Updated October 2026
- Service area
- Fort Lauderdale and the rest of Broward County, Florida
- Hours
- 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
- Phone
- (786) 213-9489
- Mailing Address
- 1200 Brickell Ave Suite 1950 #1007, Miami, FL 33131
- Standard
- IICRC S500/S520-aligned documentation
Six checks to run on the first call
You can run every check below in one phone call, with any company. Under each one is what to ask and what Restoration Doctor of South Florida states, so you can compare the answers side by side.
1. The standard the work follows
- What to ask
- Which IICRC standard governs the drying plan, and what dry standard will you use for this building? Ask for both in writing.
- What we state, and where you can check it
- We work to ANSI/IICRC S500 for water and S520 for mold, and our documentation is IICRC S500/S520-aligned. A structure is called dry only when its materials reach a recorded dry standard, never on a fixed number of days.
2. Licenses and registrations
- What to ask
- Does the work on my property need a Florida license, and whose name is it issued to? Look any license number up on the state's licensee search at myfloridalicense.com.
- What we state, and where you can check it
- We are a water mitigation company. We do not perform repairs or building work.
3. Measured drying and daily records
- What to ask
- Will you take moisture readings on each affected material every day, and will I get the log with photos and equipment run times?
- What we state, and where you can check it
- Yes. We take daily moisture readings against a recorded baseline and keep time-stamped photos from arrival through completion, psychrometric logs and equipment records. They are provided to you.
4. A written, line-item scope
- What to ask
- Will I get a line-item scope that shows what is removed and why, with the photo and moisture reading behind each removal?
- What we state, and where you can check it
- We write the scope line by line in the industry-standard format, with notes on what was done and why, and we remove only what cannot be saved.
5. Billing terms in writing
- What to ask
- Who invoices me, who is responsible for payment, and where are the pricing and payment terms written down before work starts?
- What we state, and where you can check it
- We invoice the customer who signs the agreement. That customer is responsible for payment under the signed agreement, whether or not an insurer pays. Pricing and payment terms are set out in the written agreement. We do not ask for an assignment of benefits.
6. Response time and availability
- What to ask
- What arrival time do you state, what does it depend on, and does a person answer the phone at 3 a.m.?
- What we state, and where you can check it
- A person answers (786) 213-9489 at any hour. A crew can be on-site in as little as 60 minutes in Miami-Dade. Broward and Palm Beach dispatches take somewhat longer. Response times vary based on crew availability and demand.
Fort Lauderdale conditions a restorer should be ready for
Canals and rivers put many Fort Lauderdale homes close to the waterline. When a king tide or heavy rain pushes canal water over a seawall, that water is contaminated. The right response is extraction, removal of the porous materials it reached and treatment, not only fans. Ask any company whether it treats canal water that way.
Beachfront and downtown condominium buildings add building access, shared risers and several affected units. Ask how the company keeps a record for each unit and how it works with building management.
Concrete block walls and tile over a slab dry slowly, and they can read dry at the surface while holding moisture inside. Ask whether readings are taken through to the slab and the base of the wall.
After a named storm, demand for crews and equipment rises across South Florida. Ask how a company handles that, and keep its number before you need it.
What to do while you compare companies
- 1
Stop the water if you safely can
Close the stop valve at the fixture or the main shutoff. Stay out of rooms where water is near outlets or a ceiling is bulging.
- 2
Photograph the damage before anything is moved
Take photos of each wet room and note the time you found the water. Water keeps spreading while you compare, so do this first.
- 3
Call two or three companies and put the six checks to each
Write down each answer. A company that answers all six plainly, and puts them in writing, is easier to compare.
- 4
Read the agreement before you sign
Check the scope, the billing terms and who is responsible for payment. Sign only an agreement you have read.
Reading reviews before you choose
A rating and a count are a starting point. Read the low-star reviews and how the company replied to them, and check that each listing shows the company's own phone number and website. Our Florida listing's current rating and count are at the top of this page, with the date. The review wall on this site shows 4- and 5-star reviews only and says so; every review is on the Google listing.
Common questions
Water, sewage or storm damage right now?
A person answers (786) 213-9489 at any hour. Tell us the address, what is wet and whether the water is still running. A crew can be on-site in as little as 60 minutes in Miami-Dade. Broward and Palm Beach dispatches take somewhat longer.*
*Response times vary based on crew availability and demand.