Water Damage & Insurance:
What’s Not Covered?
Many homeowners are left uncovered when it comes to certain water damage disasters that happen on their property. At ServiceMaster Quality Restoration, our mission is to inform you and give you the resources to protect your Charlotte home from disaster. That’s why we’re breaking down different kinds of water damage and whether they’re covered in the typical homeowner's insurance plan. Keep in mind that each insurance provider is unique – be sure to consult your agent in order to specify the details of your plan.
So what’s not covered?
There are four types of water damage that are typically not covered in homeowners insurance:
- Unresolved Maintenance Problems: Although your coverage will help you when your washing machine freaks out on you, insurance typically does not cover water damage from ongoing maintenance issues, such as leaking faucets or plumbing problems. This is why it is critical to monitor your pipes and faucets – make sure everything is working properly on a regular basis!
- The Source of the Damage: Even though insurance plans will cover replacing your floors after your dishwasher breaks, note that plans do not cover dishwasher replacement – in other words, they cover the damage but not repairing or replacing the source of the damage.
- Outside Water Backup from Sewer/Drain: Water damage resulting from the outside – such as a sewage backup or drainage issue – is typically not covered on standard plans. However, most insurance agencies offer additional sewage coverage, so be sure to talk to your provider about this option!
- Flooding: Natural disasters – including floods, hurricanes or weather-related water damage – are not covered on standard plans. In a place like Charlotte that is likely to experience storms and hurricanes, it’s important to call the National Flood Insurance Program or discuss flood insurance with your provider.
It’s important to have an ongoing dialogue with your insurance provider to know the extent of your coverage in your insurance plan. And, as always, be sure to call ServiceMaster Quality Restoration whenever your home experiences a disaster. Insurance provider or not, we will fully cooperate with you and all parties to clean up any water damage that happens to your home! Call today.
Source: Allstate
