Water Damage Insurance and Cleanup Coverage

Nothing breaks your heart more than coming home from a vacation or business trip and finding your house is flooded. Water damage is a common issue in most homes, sometimes caused by carelessness and other times unforeseen forces. During winter, frozen pipelines can rupture, washing machine hoses can break, and sprinkler systems can break down, all of which can lead to water severely destroying your property. By having water damage insurance, you can avoid the hassle of paying for unplanned expenses.

Although homeowners’ insurance covers certain kinds of water damage, it can be confounding to determine what is and isn’t protected. Here’s everything you need to understand if you question whether your home’s insurance includes water damage.

When Will Your Home Insurance Cover Water Damage?

Whether or not your homeowner’s insurance will cover water damage in your residence depends on several things, but the most influential is the cause. Water damage associated with a ruptured pipe is generally insured. For instance, your hose and the water damage are probably covered by insurance if it freezes and explodes (excluding your deductible).

But it becomes even more complicated how coverage works. A significant dishwasher leakage may be reimbursed, but still, your claim may be rejected. Everything relies on the servicing you had done before the leak occurred. Your insurance can allege that you were careless, and the water damage might have been avoided if you were aware that the dishwasher was experiencing trouble but did nothing about it, in which case your request for compensation would be rejected. 

Examine the “Duties in the Event of a Loss” part of your coverage to learn what steps to take to stop future losses during a claim. Often, flood insurance is not covered by a typical home insurance policy. You’ll require a supplemental flood insurance plan for this kind of protection.

Water Damage Covered by Homeowner’s Insurance

Your homeowner’s insurance will likely cover flooding and water damage, so you don’t have to fret about it. Nonetheless, it’s crucial to comprehend the situations protected by your insurance and those where a claim denial is possible. Your homeowner’s insurance will cover you when it is caused by;

• Snowstorm or rainstorm
• Plumbing issues like malfunctioning piping, frozen hoses, burst pipes, and unintentional overflows.
• A fire’s suppression caused water damage
• rooftop leak (claim would be eligible only to the home interior and exclude the actual roof)
• A spill of a device or fitting that occurs accidentally, such as bathroom fixtures and washing machine

Just because the water damage on your residence is accidental does not always guarantee compensation. Knowing what the homeowner’s insurance does not cover is equally important. You will not be compensated if the water damage is caused by;

• earth seepage
• blockages in water or sewage pipes
• Flooding
• leaking from neglected pipes

Conclusion

Water damage cleanup is one of the most costly expenditures a homeowner can incur. Unless you have an emergency fund planned for such expenditures, having water damage insurance and cleanup cover is essential.