Spring Flood Season: Are You Covered?

•  May 13, 2017
•  Complete

When you’re buying a new home, or renewing your homeowner’s insurance policy, there can be so much jargon involved it is difficult to understand what your policy really does and really does not cover. Water damage is somewhat of a gray area in many policies. Often, insurance agents describe it as: if the water comes from above, like a rain storm, it’s covered; but if it comes from below, such as a swollen river or lake, it’s not. That is when you need a separate flood insurance policy.While we can’t tell you decisively what will and will not be covered in the event of a flood in Pensacola, Complete has certainly worked with enough homeowners and insurance companies to know the norm and hopefully clear up some of your questions about water damage restoration work.

The water damage probably will not be covered if it’s caused by:

A Lack of Maintenance Your insurance company likely expects you to be doing necessary maintenance to your home. If you knowingly allow a pipe beneath the kitchen sink to leak for months and months without fixing the problem, your policy may not foot the bill for the repairs. Chances are if you’ve waited this long, the damage is pretty extensive as well and you’re not only looking at water damage, you’re looking at mold growth. But that’s beside the point. Your policy simply probably will not cover unresolved maintenance issues. Mother Nature Here, we are talking about flooding from a storm, over-saturated ground, an overflowing lake or river, snow runoff, and so on. Flood damage is not covered in regular homeowner’s insurance policies, which is why it can be a good idea to carry separate flood insurance if your home sits in a flood plain or high risk area. This type of insurance can be purchased through the National Flood Insurance Program. A Sewage Backup In the restoration industry, we call this category 3 water. Essentially, water that has the presence of bacteria probably won’t be covered by your policy. Like we mentioned above, however, you can probably purchase additional protection for an event like this. Damage probably is covered if it is caused by a water loss from things such as a burst pipe or ruptured water heater that soak some flooring, ceiling tiles and drywall.If your washing machine suddenly becomes possessed and floods your laundry room, your insurance policy will probably be there for you to cover the cost of repairing the damage; you might need to foot the bill for the new appliance. Most policies won’t cover the cost of replacing the source of the problem.At Complete, we understand how scary it is to find your home flooded – no matter how major or minor the problem. Again, what we’ve told you here is just based on the law of averages. If you have any questions or concerns about water damage in your home contact our professionals today.