Tuesday, January 24, 2023

Is Water Damage Covered By Insurance

In a Hurry? Here Are Key Points:

  1. Water damage may or may not be covered by your Dallas homeowners insurance. It all depends on the cause. If the water damage was accidental and resulted from a building failure then yes, you should receive coverage. 
  2. Water damage that happened as a result of negligence and inconsistent maintenance will most likely not be covered.
  3. Flood damage necessitates separate flood insurance policy.

After spotting signs of water damage in your home, you may have discovered that you have had a months-old leak and now want to know if you can get coverage for the repairs. Or, you may be in a situation where sewage backed up and created a giant mess on your first floor, causing you to have the same question in your mind – is water damage covered by insurance? 

In this article you’ll swiftly learn about water damage insurance, most common causes of water damage, which causes of water damage are covered by insurance and which are not, and then finally how to file an insurance claim for the highest chances of success.

We know you have no time to waste so let’s go!

Water Damage Insurance - How Does It Work?

Water damage insurance refers to standard protection you get from your homeowners insurance policies. It’s specifically for sudden and accidental water damage which came from an indoor cause – busted pipes, roofing leaks, and others. It will NOT cover water damage that happened due to a lack of maintenance. Also, only the water damage restoration costs will be covered, not the repair costs of the actual cause. For more clarification, keep on reading.

Common Causes of Water Damage - Are They Covered?

You probably already know what caused water damage in your specific situation but let’s do a quick roundup of the most frequent causes and then point out if they are covered.

Plumbing Failures

When they fail, pipes can result in heavy damage. Pipe bursts can flood entire rooms and make your property temporarily uninhabitable. 

Homeowners insurance will cover water damage restoration costs from sudden and accidental pipe bursts. The main point is that you’re not solely responsible for the leak and that an outside force played a role as well. For example, your pipe may have froze and then busted. 

However, that can’t be said for gradual damage caused by a leak that has been ignored or just never been found due to a lack of checkups and maintenance. In this case, you bear all responsibility and therefore likely won’t get coverage for restoration. 

Note that you may not get coverage for the actual pipe replacement, but will for the damage that that pipe caused by leaking.

Appliance Failures

What about, let’s say, washing machine leaks?

Same thing! If the damage was sudden and accidental, you should get coverage. If you were just lazy and ignored obvious signs that some maintenance is required – or you didn’t check enough to find the less-obvious – then you most likely won’t. 

As long as the damage came from the inside of your property and was accidental, you will be covered, regardless of whether the perpetrator was a washing machine, dishwasher, refrigerator, or water heater.

Sewage Backups

Sewage backups aren’t typically included in a homeowners insurance policy. This is unfortunate because in many cases, you might not at all be responsible for your sewage backup. For example, one of the most common causes of sewage backups is – or are – tree roots which penetrate through the pipe and cause the wastewater to be pushed back to your property. And, obviously, this is totally out of your control. 

However, many insurance companies offer an option to add coverage for sewage cleanups to your typical policy. So, to sewage-proof yourself from now on, you can consider purchasing this addon.

Roofing Leaks

As you might have guessed, water damage from roofing leaks that were caused by a covered peril – strong winds and storms, faulty installation or accidental cracks – will be covered. Now, again, insurance will pay for the water removal and restoration costs, not for the roof repair itself. 

Floods

Flood damage restoration is not covered by your standard policies. You need to get a separate policy for that – a flood insurance policy. You purchase this policy through the National Flood Insurance Program managed by FEMA

How to File a Water Damage Insurance Claim

Now that you know if your water damage can be covered or not, for those who can get coverage, here are a few tips on how to file a successful claim. 

Obviously, call your agent ASAP and report a claim. This should be done right after you’ve determined what caused your water damage and can that cause get coverage. Also, call a water damage restoration company like Big D Water Damage Restoration to help you with the cleanup and repairs. 

And here comes the crucial part – document EVERYTHING. Pile up as much evidence as possible. Record multiple in-depth videos and explain exactly what happened. Don’t leave any guessing to your insurance company. Take pictures of all damaged items and surfaces. Your restoration team will also take photos, but the biggest initiator has to be you. If you can’t approach a damaged area for safety reasons, make sure to communicate this to the restoration team. 

The documentation will help you in all your future meetings and negotiations. In an ideal case, your restoration company will handle a good portion of the work with the insurance company and will help you navigate the whole process.

Water Damage Restoration Dallas, TX

Need help with water damage? Call the Big D Water Damage Restoration team today! We’ll help you deal with all types of water damage and repair and restore your property in the fastest time possible. We can deal with basement damage, sewage backups, flood damage, and even fire damage. If you’re looking for the best water damage restoration Dallas, TX has available, call us today!

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source https://restoration-dallas.com/2023/01/24/is-water-damage-covered-by-insurance/

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