Will the Insurance Company Pay for my Water Damage Claim? Its safe to assume that if your home experiences water damage your insurance company will take care of all of the damage right?
Don’t you remember what your parents told you about assuming? Just because you have insurance does not guarantee that you have coverage for certain types of water damage.
Most notably “water coming in through a window, wall, or door” or “drain and sump pump backups.” Also, even if you have insurance coverage it can be limited to a certain dollar amount.
“Accidental and all of a Sudden”
The insurance company will pay for a claim when they know the cause of the water damage was “accidental and all of sudden” not an ongoing maintenance issue. For instance, if a home owner neglects a leaky pipe under a kitchen sink for a month.
Then, discovers they have significant mold damage because of the leaky pipe. The insurance adjuster will most likely decide the water damage was caused by neglect and deny the insurance claim.
Now this can be a gray area for some water damage situations. So, ultimately the insurance adjuster has the final ruling. It never hurts to get an opinion from a water damage restoration contractor before placing a claim.
Ok, so what can you do as a home owner to make sure you don’t get caught without coverage when water damage occurs?
Review your Insurance Policy with your Insurance Agent
1. Look through your insurance policy to see what you’re covered or not covered for.
2. If you don’t have access to your policy; reach out to your insurance agent to discuss your water damage coverage in detail.
3. If you find out you are not covered for certain types of water damage, this is a perfect time to get those coverages added to your policy.
What is Limited Insurance Coverage?
We learned previously that just because you have insurance does not guarantee that you have coverage for certain types of water damage.
Limited insurance coverage means that you have insurance coverage, however, that coverage is limited to a certain dollar amount.
For example, if a home owner experiences a drain or sump pump backup in a basement, insurance companies almost always put a $5,000, $10,000, or $25,000 dollar limit on what they will pay out.
Most of the time, $5,000 dollars doesn’t go very far when there’s a foot of water down there.
Some simple research now can save you a financial headache in the future when dealing with water damage.
NEED HELP WITH WATER DAMAGE? CALL (317) 315-5071
