Homeowners Insurance & Water Damage: What You Need To Know

Water damage can be very draining for homeowners to deal with. If you own your home, odds are that you’re aware of homeowners insurance, and in fact it may be mandatory depending on your individual scenario. When choosing your policy, you may have picked the most basic policy coverage or a policy tailored to your own needs, but how do you know what your insurance does and does not cover? When is the last time that you reviewed your policy? Sudden water damage, such as experiencing an influx of water from a broken pipe or an unexpected flow of water from an atmospheric storm, can happen to anyone, anywhere, at anytime; and in fact, water damage is one of the most common insurance claims. Although this may happen without warning, it is critical to be prepared for an emergency and to respond as quickly as possible to keep potential damage to a minimum. 

What Criteria Does Insurance Typically Require For Water Damage Coverage?

Generally, basic homeowners insurance policies are designed to help protect homeowners when disaster strikes. However, having homeowners insurance doesn’t ensure that you have coverage for all forms of water damage. To qualify for water damage coverage under a standard insurance policy, most insurance companies have several criteria that must be met:

• The water damage cannot come from sources outside the home (ex: street flooding)

• The water damage cannot be caused from poor maintenance or negligence (ex: poorly maintained pipes)

• The water damage cannot be caused by bodies of water flooding or oversaturated ground (ex: house near body of water that flooded)

• The water damage cannot be caused from a gradual or slowly caused issue (ex: long-term leaking pipe that causes mold)

• It should be caused from sudden and internal causes (ex: pipe bursting) but this isn’t always the case

What Type of Water Damage Does Homeowners Insurance Cover?

With all of that being said, you may be wondering, “what does basic insurance policies cover?” To qualify for water damage coverage under basic insurance policies, the cause of the damage typically must be immediate, unforeseeable, accidental, and internal. Based on the above criteria and our experience with working directly with numerous insurance companies and carriers, here are the types of water damage typically covered by basic policies:

• Plumbing damages

• Leaking or ruptured water heaters

• Water damage from an atmospheric storm

• Water damage caused by extinguishing a fire

• Leaking or malfunctioning appliances

• Water damage caused by sudden roof leaks

• Water damage due to vandalism by other people

What Type of Water Damage Does Homeowners Insurance Not Cover?

• Water damage caused by intentional acts

• Water damage caused by poor maintenance or negligence

• Water damage caused by backed-up sewage or drains

• Flooding from natural disasters (flood, earthquakes, hurricanes, tsunamis)

  • Additional Natural Disaster Coverage is needed

• Sump pump failure or other related failed equipment causing water damage

• Water damage caused by a swimming pool leak or other body of water

Filing A Water Damage Claim:

Having homeowners insurance and water damage coverage can significantly reduce the costs of water damage repairs. The best time to file a claim with your insurance company is once you recognize the signs of water damage. During this time, it is critical to take photos and videos of the damaged/affected area to have supporting documentation for the claim. It is the homeowners responsibility to hire a qualified restoration contractor to start the mitigation process as soon as possible to avoid prolonged or secondary damages. 

Giuliani Construction & Restoration, Inc. is available 24/7 to respond, restore, and rebuild your property and home. We can provide an estimate, regardless of the job size at no cost to you. We are proud to offer a variety of services, so even if you are not sure how your job fits, you can schedule us to come take a look anyway. We would love to share our experience, expertise and knowledge with you. We get the job done right the first time, on time, with customer satisfaction. Call (833)-3DRYOUT or email workorders@giulianiconstruction.com and we will promptly respond.