Restoration companies in Illinois

Built around water, mold and sewage

Outside Chicago, the Illinois list is a water-and-mold list. Every one of the 11 documents both, and 10 of 11 add sewage and biohazard cleanup. Fire and smoke work shows up on 6 of 11. Storm damage is the gap, at 5 of 11, so if wind or hail did the damage, filter for it before you call.

Insurance claim help, 24/7 service and free estimates each appear on 8 of 11 sites.

Nothing on guarantees

Not one of the 11 Illinois sites describes a warranty on the work. Response time fares a little better, stated by 4 of 11. Ask about both before a crew starts tearing out drywall, and get the answers in writing.

7 of 11 name an industry standard such as IICRC S500 for water or S520 for mold. That's the company's own statement and we score it that way. We found no third-party credential we could confirm for any of them, and there are no franchise locations on this page.

One point under the line

Median coverage on this page is 69%, the ceiling for evidence that comes from a website. To pass 70%, a company needs something checked outside its own site, such as a business registry match or a license record. We don't have either wired in for Illinois yet, so the page can't rank anyone however strong a site looks.

How to check a restoration company in Illinois

In Illinois, the licensing question starts local. The Attorney General's home repair guide tells homeowners to contact their village hall or township to learn whether a license is required and whether complaints have been made about the companies they're considering. Do that before anything else.

Some work does carry a state license. IDFPR's Check a License page links to its Professional Regulation License Look Up, which shows whether a person or business holds an IDFPR license, including a roofing license. If storm repair includes the roof, look the roofer up there.

Mold is in between. Illinois passed a Mold Remediation Registration Act, but the Department of Public Health says registration isn't required until the rules are adopted, so for now a mold company in Illinois doesn't have to be registered with IDPH.

Know your right to cancel. The Attorney General says a contract made and signed at your home can be cancelled within three business days. If the job depends on an insurance claim, you can also cancel within five business days of a written denial, or within 30 days of sending the claim, whichever comes first. Hold off on signing until you know where the claim stands, or keep those dates in view.

For a house built before 1978, the EPA runs lead renovation certification in Illinois, and it says anyone paid to disturb paint in that housing generally must be certified in lead-safe work practices. We haven't logged license, lead-safe or IICRC checks for any Illinois company, so profiles show them as Not verified.