Do You Know Your Insurance Policy?
Water Damage claims is one of the biggest home claims a person will have. Many people think they are fully covered against water damage in their homes but, did you know there are different types of water damage found within homes? Did the pipe burst or was it a slow leak? Was water in your basement caused by a failed sump pump or flooding? These different questions could be the deciding factor on whether or not you have the coverage or do not. It is better to discuss these questions with your agent before it is too late. Nobody wants surprises with their insurance after something happens in your home.
What Does a Typical Insurance Policy Look Like?
A typical homeowner’s policy usually does not cover maintenance, wear and tear, flooding, and sewage water. A typical policy will only cover sudden water damage. This could include a fire in home and they used water to put out the fire, a sudden burst in your plumbing, or vandalism. If one of these has not occurred the water damage will not be covered by your insurance company. Every policy is different and some may have coverage for certain things while others will not. To receive coverage on other water damage causes you will have to add that policy onto your homeowner’s policy.
What Are Different Policies I Can Add On?
Different coverages to think about when it comes to water damage is a flood policy. A normal homeowner’s policy will not include flood damage. This is an extra policy that you can get if you live in a high flood area or have a basement. Another policy is sewage backup coverage. A sewage backup can occur from something inside the home or outside. If you are connected to the city pipes, a blockage could occur from somewhere else but still affect you. Another sewage backup cause are tree roots growing through the pipes.
Are There Some Precautions I Can Take?
The simple answer, yes. Some quick precautions you can take for inside water damage are doing routine inspections on your plumbing. The easiest to check is your bathroom plumbing. The next precaution you can take is shutting off your water when you are gone on vacation. You can just turn the valve to off on the washing machine and dishwasher. The last in-home precaution to take is doing routine checks on the hoses connected to your water heater, dishwasher, and washing machine. Slow leaks from any of these places are typically not covered under a normal homeowner’s policy.
To protect from outside sources, make sure the gutters are clean. You would not want a heavy rain to come and have water build up on your roof because the gutters are not clean. Another area to watch out for is making sure the roof, windows, and doors are sealed to ensure no water gets through a crack. Repairs to windows, doors, and roofs can be as simple as caulking windows seals, having weather stripping around your doors, and making sure your roof is in stable condition.
Sometimes water damage can not be prevented. If you ever run into an issue where water has damaged your home or have standing water, Thompson Building Associates/ ResQ 24 can help! We can assist in all 3 types of water and can do any structural put-back!
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