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Find Emergency Property Help
A leak, outage, fire, storm loss, sewer backup, structural concern, gas odor, or electrical hazard can require different responders. Protect people first, contact the responsible emergency service or utility, and hire property professionals only after the immediate hazard has been identified.
Platform inventory
Emergency-capable trade inventory
Filter the existing trade directory by emergency-capable categories and services.01
Put life safety ahead of property work
Leave an unsafe area and use 911 for fire, suspected structural collapse, active violence, medical emergency, or another immediate threat to life. For a gas odor, downed line, damaged meter, or utility emergency, move away and contact the responsible utility through its official emergency channel. Do not enter standing water near energized equipment or attempt a hazardous shutoff.
A contractor directory is not an emergency dispatch service. Do not wait for a quote request, email, or profile response when public safety or utility intervention is needed. Follow responder instructions about reentry and preserve access for emergency crews. Once the scene is stable, document who attended and what restrictions remain.
02
Limit additional damage without creating another hazard
If it is safe and within your ability, use only simple measures that do not expose you to electricity, contaminated water, unstable materials, fire, gas, chemicals, or traffic. Avoid demolition or permanent repairs before the cause is understood. A temporary action can destroy evidence, spread contamination, or conflict with an insurer's inspection requirements.
Photograph visible conditions from a safe location, note the discovery time, preserve damaged items when practical, and keep receipts for temporary protection. Contact the owner, property manager, insurer, or responsible public agency as applicable. Ask before discarding material or authorizing work that exceeds immediate stabilization.
03
Verify an emergency contractor under pressure
Urgency does not remove the need to identify the legal business, verify any required license, understand insurance, and receive a written scope. Use Michigan's official license source for regulated work. Ask whether the person arriving is an employee or subcontractor, what the dispatch or diagnostic charge covers, and what must be approved before additional work begins.
The FTC warns about unsolicited contractors who create pressure, claim leftover materials, demand full payment up front, accept only cash, or push a lender they know. Storms and neighborhood damage can attract opportunistic sellers. Record names, vehicles, documents, and promises, and independently verify contact details instead of using only a link or number supplied at the door.
04
Separate stabilization from permanent repair
An emergency visit may stop water, secure an opening, make equipment safe, remove an immediate obstruction, or assess damage without completing restoration. Require the paperwork to distinguish diagnosis, stabilization, cleanup, remediation, reconstruction, and code upgrades. Ask what is temporary, what remains unsafe, and which permits or inspections are needed next.
Before permanent work, compare the scope with insurer guidance and the enforcing agency for the property. Older buildings can add lead-safe, asbestos, or other material considerations. Rebuild Detroit does not dispatch providers, promise arrival times, verify live availability, inspect damage, decide insurance coverage, or guarantee that a listed professional is appropriate for an emergency.
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