Could Water Damage Be Covered by Insurance?

When your residential property or commercial property has suffered from water damage, what is the first thing you do? Naturally, you want to clean up the mess and salvage as many items as possible. But once that’s been said and done, the next steps can be daunting.

Depending on how bad the damage to your property is, you might want to call your insurance company. Did you know that water damage repairs can cost up to $8,000? That is money that most homeowners don’t have ready in case of an emergency, but isn’t that why they have insurance anyway?

We wanted to dig deep into this topic because we want to help our customers and potential clients as much as we can. This is why we did a little research, and here are our findings:

Water Damage Is the Second-Largest Frequent Insurance Claim

Water damage is only behind wind and hail damage as the largest frequent insurance claim. But not all damage caused by water was created the same, with only some types of water damage being covered by insurance. Let’s take a closer look at each of them.

Gradual Damage

When it comes to leaking pipes, the damage may not be covered by your insurance if it has been gradual. What does this mean? It’s simple. It means that the damage was over time, and happened through a broken pipe that had been leaking for a while.

To avoid gradual water damage — and the heavy costs associated with it — you should do proper maintenance and regular verification of your plumbing system. If everything is in tip-top shape, you shouldn’t get many surprises.

A good rule of thumb when it comes to insurance claims is how sudden or accidental the damage was. If it was preventable through proper maintenance, it will most likely not be covered by insurance.

Depending on your insurance policy, however, some gradual damage may be covered; so don’t give up just yet! Contact your insurance company to review the exclusions in your policy.

Sudden or Accidental Discharge

Pipes can burst at a moment’s notice. Would this type of water damage be covered by your insurance policy? Everything points to yes. But you should always confirm with your insurance company.

Standard homeowners policies include:

• Damage caused by the weight of ice, snow or sleet. If your roof suddenly collapses or you get water damage as a result of the weight of ice, snow or sleet, you are covered.
• Discharge and overflow of water — even if accidental. You should still worry about your kids potentially flooding your home with bathtub water, but at least it would be covered by insurance.
• Tearing apart, cracking, burning or bulging of a steam or hot water heating system.
• Freezing of plumbing and pipes.

If you have a limited or restricted policy, though, the items above might not be covered.

Sewer Backup

The problem with sewage is that it is considered Category 3 water, aka “black water.” It carries nasty contaminants and bacteria that could make you and your family sick. Sewage cleanup involves not only removing the water and drying the area, but also heavy decontamination.

It is definitely important that you double check your insurance policy for sewer backup. Keep in mind that this is not automatically included in a standard policy.

Flood Damage

You might not know this, but insurance companies have their own definition of flood. It is defined as “a general and temporary condition of partial or complete inundation of two or more acres and two or more properties of normally dry land.”

Before you call your insurance with a flood claim, make sure that your situation is encompassed under the description we’ve stated above!

Call Restoration 1 of Mohave County

If your home has suffered from water damage, call Restoration 1 of Mohave County at 928-235-4193. Our team of specialists can help not only with your restoration needs, but also with insurance claims. Give us a call today!