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What to do after water damage in Santa Monica

Plain answers for Santa Monica homes, drawn from the data behind the area's water damage calls.

FEMA's National Risk Index expects inland flooding to cost about $113 a year for every $100,000 of building value in Santa Monica's ZIP codes.

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  • Calls answered 24/7
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  • Water removal, drying and repair

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Technical drawing of water removal: basement pump-out, carpet and pad extraction and hard floor water removal.
What water removal includes: basement pump-out, carpet and pad extraction and hard floor water removal.

Your call, step by step

  1. Call (833) 728-2327

    Say what is wet, where the water came from and whether it is still running. The call is answered any hour.

  2. Stop the source

    If water is still coming in, you are walked through the shutoff valve or the breaker first.

  3. Inspection and written estimate

    The crew checks the water category, measures moisture in walls and floors, photographs the damage and writes the estimate before work starts.

Call (833) 728-2327

Written for homeowners in the Santa Monica area.

67% of homes in Santa Monica are in buildings with five or more units.

First, in Santa Monica

Santa Monica is a city of apartments. Census figures show 67% of homes sit in buildings with 5 or more units and 71% are rented. That shapes the first hour after a leak. Stop the water at the closest valve you can reach, under the sink, behind the toilet or at the washer. If the water is coming from a wall or the ceiling, call the building manager at once. Riser shutoffs are usually in a locked room.

Turn off the breaker for any room where water has reached outlets or light fixtures. Photograph the source, the stains and the wet floor before you move anything, and note the time. Then carry rugs, electronics and papers to a dry room. Warn the neighbor below you, since water in an older building travels down through the floor. Anywhere in the Santa Monica area, renters should also send their photos to the landlord.

Speed matters because drywall wicks water upward and wood subfloors swell as they soak. The EPA advises drying wet materials within 24 to 48 hours, and mold can start inside that window. With 75% of Santa Monica homes built before 1980, many buildings still carry older supply lines and drains that fail without warning. Once the source is stopped, the local restoration company can start water removal. After the framing above has dried, ceiling water damage repair can follow.

What to do, in order

Work through this list in order; skip anything that puts you near live electricity or deep water.

  • Shut off the water at the main valve or the fixture valve.
  • Turn off power to wet rooms at the breaker if you can reach it without stepping in water.
  • Photograph every wet room, the source and the water line.
  • Lift furniture off wet carpet and move papers, photos and electronics to a dry room.
  • Call (833) 728-2327 for extraction and drying, and tell your insurer.
  • Keep people and pets away from sewage or floodwater.

Local figures for Santa Monica homes

About 91,535 people live in Santa Monica; calls for its area come from 174 ZIP codes.

71% of homes in Santa Monica are rented, against 54% across Los Angeles County. If you rent, tell your landlord or property manager about the leak right away.

75% of homes in Santa Monica were built before 1980.

  • 113 Yearly inland flood loss per $100,000 of building valueLos Angeles County: 164 Santa Monica113Los Angeles164CA149
  • 67% Homes in buildings with 5 or more unitsLos Angeles County: 36% Santa Monica67%Los Angeles36%CA24%
  • 71% Homes that are rentedLos Angeles County: 54% Santa Monica71%Los Angeles54%CA44%
  • 52,381 Housing units
  • 91,535 Residents
  • 75% Homes built before 1980Los Angeles County: 71% Santa Monica75%Los Angeles71%CA57%

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2019-2023 5-year estimates; FEMA OpenFEMA, FIMA NFIP Redacted Claims v3, claims from 2016 to 2025 (not endorsed by FEMA); FEMA OpenFEMA, NFIP Residential Penetration Rates v1 (not endorsed by FEMA); FEMA National Risk Index v1.20, December 2025 (not endorsed by FEMA); NOAA NCEI, U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020, nearest weather station; FEMA OpenFEMA, Disaster Declarations Summaries v2 (not endorsed by FEMA); NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, 2016 to 2025.

What Santa Monica homes add to the list

In a Santa Monica apartment, the first call after closing your own fixture valve is often the building manager. Census figures show 67% of homes are in buildings with 5 or more units, and 71% are rented. In many of those buildings, the shutoff for a riser or a whole floor sits in a locked utility room or garage, so a tenant may only be able to close the valve under a sink or behind a toilet. If water is coming through your ceiling, knock on the unit above, then tell the manager so the right valve gets closed.

Older buildings change the next step. With 75% of homes built before 1980 and 22% before 1950, many units still have older supply lines and shutoff valves that can stick or snap when forced. Turn them slowly, and if one will not close, use the building main. Photograph the source, the water line on the walls and anything damaged before you move it.

Storms and freezing play a smaller part here. NOAA climate normals show 3 freezing nights a year in Los Angeles County, so frozen pipes in exterior walls are rare. Heavy rain still arrives, and NOAA storm reports logged 29 days with flash flood or flood reports in the county from 2016 to 2025. Ground-floor and garage-level units take that water first. Outside water is Category 3, which calls for water removal and disinfection rather than simple drying. Once the water is stopped, call the local restoration company for the Santa Monica area.

What not to do in the first hours

Some first moves make the damage worse. Stay out of water that may touch live wiring, and keep away from a ceiling that bulges or drips. A shop vacuum rated for water is fine for a small spill; a household vacuum is not. Turning the heat up does not dry a house; it moves moisture into rooms that were dry. Photograph damaged things before they go to the curb. Leave wet walls open and unpainted until moisture readings show they are dry. Clean-water carpet often comes back with carpet drying when work starts within a day or two.

First-step questions in Santa Monica

Should I run fans to dry water damage myself in Santa Monica?

For a small clean-water spill on a hard floor, yes. For water that soaked carpet pad, ran into walls or came from sewage or outside, extraction and dehumidifiers are needed; household fans leave water inside the structure.

Is it safe to turn the power back on after water damage?

Not in rooms where water reached outlets, cords, the electrical panel or appliances until they have been checked. Leave the breakers for wet rooms off and ask the crew or an electrician before restoring power. Never stand in water to reach a breaker.

Where is the main water shutoff in a Santa Monica house?

Look where the supply line comes in: a basement or crawl space wall facing the street, near the water heater, a utility room, or the meter box at the curb, which may need a meter key. Turn clockwise to close.

How long can water sit before mold starts in a Santa Monica home?

Mold can start growing within 24 to 48 hours on wet drywall, carpet pad and wood, according to the EPA. That is why extraction and drying start as soon as possible, and why wet materials that cannot be dried in that window are often removed. Warm, humid rooms move faster than cool, dry ones.

Can I stay in my Santa Monica home during water damage drying?

With a clean-water leak, most people stay home while the equipment runs. With sewage or floodwater, the affected area is sealed off and some households move out for a few days. Ask the crew what the water category means for your Santa Monica home.

More Santa Monica guides

The Santa Monica guides index

One call for water damage in Santa Monica

Any hour, any day. Nothing starts until you approve a written estimate.

Call (833) 728-2327Calls answered 24/7
Call (833) 728-2327, answered 24/7