A Homeowner’s Guide: What’s Covered by Water Damage Insurance?

You’ve Bought a New Home – But Inherited a Water Damage Problem

What could be more stressful than buying your first (or a new) home? Discovering undisclosed water damage issues after enduring your first thunderstorm or flood, for starters. If you have recently been the victim of an unfortunate water challenge, there are protections in place assuming you have invested in homeowner’s and/or water damage insurance.

In this article, we’ll talk about the basics of homeowner’s coverage, as well as what you can expect to have covered (or not). Although each policy is different, there are some basic protections extended to homeowners like you, that you should be aware of.

After all, familiarizing yourself with your rights in these situations is a powerful first step to repairing your property. You should also plan on locating your important policy-related documents, to confirm many of the typical procedures discussed here.

Restoration Basics: Does Homeowners Insurance Cover Water Damage?

Specifically, there are two types of insurance coverage that will offer you the best bet for water damage-related issues or repairs. The first of these is referred to as dwelling coverage, which pertains to covering damages resulting from a protected source, such as a burst pipe.

The second type of coverage is known as personal property coverage, which allows homeowners to replace items that were lost to severe damage (i.e. your laptop!). Generally speaking, you can probably assume that your policy covers typical types of damage, such as mold, fire-extinguishing damage, plumbing issues, or snowstorms.

Another important rule of thumb? Timing is everything! If you are aware of an ongoing water damage problem, or source of a persistent leak, you should act immediately. Most policies will not cover damage that has been occurring for weeks or months with the knowledge of the homeowner.

This is also why it is important for you to take pictures when sudden damage does occur – the sooner you act, the better. If you can identify documents, photographs or other materials that can assist you in proving your case to the insurance agency in question, you should also move these to a central location and keep them handy throughout the repair and restoration process.

Using Insurance for Repairs: Getting Your Home Back to Normal

Although the pros at Compleat Restorations are able to assist you with this process, there are steps you can take to ensure that insurance will cover a majority of your items damaged by water or flooding problems.

Before anything else, it is often recommended that homeowners take extensive photographs to show the scope and location of the damage you observe. You should also refer to your individual documentation to understand the ins and outs of your specific policy, and promptly contact your agent to report the claim.

If you will need to arrange for other accommodations while repairs are completed, you should arrange for childcare, transportation and other steps with as much advance notice as possible.

As a general rule, you can probably count on your policy covering any water damage that is incurred as long as the source of the issue was sudden or accidental in nature (i.e. a thunderstorm or local flooding problem). This being said, you cannot expect for every situation to be protected. Some of the situations that may prevent you from receiving homeowners insurance perks include accidental plumbing issues, frozen pipes, a leaky roof, vandalism (if someone enters your home and causes water damage).

Tired of Water Damaged Rooms and Possessions? Get in Touch With a Professional Today.

Living with or among water damaged items is not ideal or healthy for anyone. Damp environments or those with active water leakage problems require thorough repair to guard against future mold and damage problems. That’s why you should act quickly to contact a professional, so we can work on getting your family and your homestead back to their pre-water issue states.

Our skilled team will be able to help you navigate your insurance challenges, in addition to caring for your preserved or damaged items. Look no further than Compleat Restorations, we are here and ready to help!