Payment options
Financing
Nobody budgets for a burst pipe. Financing exists so the size of the repair does not decide how well it gets done, and so you are not choosing between drying the house properly and drying it cheaply.
Thunder & Lightning Services is a GoodLeap partner.
Financing is provided by GoodLeap, a third-party lender. Approval, rates and terms are their decision, not ours.
Straight about this
What we can and cannot tell you
Home improvement financing pages tend to be full of numbers that turn out not to apply to you. We would rather be useful than impressive, so here is the honest division.
We can tell you what the job costs, in writing, itemized, before you commit. We can tell you which parts of it are likely to be covered by an insurance claim and which are not. We can hand you the application.
We cannot tell you whether you will be approved, what rate you will be offered, or what your monthly payment will be. Those come from the lender after they have looked at your application. Any contractor quoting you a payment before you have applied is quoting you an example, not an offer.
What financing is usually used for
- Reconstruction after water or fire damage, which is normally the expensive half
- The insurance deductible on a covered claim
- Depreciation the carrier holds back until repairs are finished
- Work on a claim that was denied or came in under-scoped
- Whole-home repiping, especially after a second or third slab leak
- Sewer line repair or replacement
- Water heater replacement when the tank has failed rather than been planned for
The part people get caught by
Financing and an insurance claim are not either / or
People assume that if a claim is covered, financing is irrelevant. In practice a covered water damage claim routinely still leaves real money to find.
There is the deductible, which is yours regardless. Then many policies pay actual cash value up front and hold back the depreciation until the repairs are genuinely complete, so the final portion arrives after you have already had to pay for the work. And scope disputes happen, where the carrier funds less reconstruction than the job actually needs.
None of that means the claim was handled badly. It is how most policies are built. Financing is one way to cover the timing gap rather than letting a half-repaired house sit while you wait for a check.
The lender
Who GoodLeap is
We are a GoodLeap partner. GoodLeap is a financing platform built for home improvement work, which matters here because restoration and reconstruction are exactly the kind of unplanned, larger-ticket jobs it exists for.
Being a partner means we can point you at their application. It does not mean we have any say in the outcome. GoodLeap makes the credit decision, GoodLeap sets your rate and term, and your agreement is with GoodLeap rather than with us. If the terms they offer do not work for you, say no.
See GoodLeap's homeowner optionsHow it goes
The order that actually makes sense
1. Emergency work starts
On an active loss, mitigation does not wait for a credit decision. Delay is what turns a water job into a mold job.
2. You get a real number
An itemized written scope for the reconstruction, tied to the documented damage. This is the figure worth applying against.
3. You apply
Through the lender, not through us. The decision and the terms come back from them.
4. You decide
Look at the actual terms. If they do not work, say no. Applying does not commit you to anything.
Questions
Financing questions
If yours is not here, ask when we quote the job.
What kinds of jobs can be financed?
The larger ones, where the number is big enough that spreading it out actually changes the decision. Water, fire and mold restoration, the reconstruction afterward, whole-home repiping, slab leak repair, sewer line repair and replacement, and water heater replacement. Small repairs generally are not worth financing.
Can I finance the part my insurance will not cover?
That is one of the most common reasons people ask. A covered water damage claim still leaves you paying the deductible, and carriers frequently hold back depreciation until the repairs are actually completed, which means money you will get eventually but do not have today. Financing can bridge that gap. So can financing a job on a claim that was denied outright.
Who decides whether I am approved?
The lender, not us. We are a contractor. We can hand you the application and tell you what the job costs, and that is where our involvement in the credit decision ends. Any contractor who tells you they can get you approved is describing something they do not control.
What are the rates and terms?
Whatever the lender offers you, based on your application. We deliberately do not publish rates or monthly payment figures, because the number that matters is the one on your own approval, not an example on a website. You will see your actual terms before you agree to anything.
Do I need perfect credit?
Not necessarily, and we are not going to guess on your behalf. Applying is how you find out. What we will tell you is that you should know the real cost of the job before you apply, so you are applying for a figure that reflects the actual scope.
When should I apply?
After we have looked at the job and given you a written number. Applying before anyone has diagnosed the problem means applying for a figure nobody has confirmed, and on restoration work the scope frequently changes once walls are opened and moisture readings come back.
Does financing delay emergency work?
It should not. On an active water loss the mitigation starts immediately, because every hour of delay makes the job bigger and risks mold. The financing conversation belongs to the reconstruction phase, which is the expensive half and the part that gets scheduled rather than rushed.
Is there a cost to apply?
Applying does not obligate you to do the work with us or to accept the terms offered. Read what the lender puts in front of you, and if it does not work for you, say no. We would rather you did that than sign something you are not comfortable with.
Can I pay it off early?
That depends entirely on the terms of the specific offer you receive, so check the agreement. It is a fair question to ask the lender directly before you sign.
Who you are dealing with
Thunder Plumbing Inc, doing business as Thunder & Lightning Services, has held California contractor license #902886 since 2007, carrying a C-36 plumbing classification and a B general building classification. You can verify that at cslb.ca.gov by entering the number.
That matters here for one specific reason: the same license covers both the emergency mitigation and the reconstruction. You are financing one job with one contractor, rather than a dry-out from one company and a rebuild from another with a gap in the middle that nobody owns.
We are not a lender and we do not receive your credit information.
Get the number first.
We will look at the job and put a real figure in writing. Then financing is a decision instead of a guess.
24 hours a day, 7 days a week · Licensed, bonded and insured · CSLB #902886