Does Homeowner's Insurance Cover Water Damage?

4/20/2021 (Permalink)

SERVPRO technician uses a water extractor to remove standing water from a kitchen floor

When Does Homeowner's Insurance Cover Water Damage?

If water damage occurs at your home your homeowner's insurance may or may not cover it. As a general rule of thumb; sudden internal damage is covered, while damage caused by lack of proper maintenance or negligence, or external flood damage, is not. Here are some common examples of situations when a loss is covered or not.

When Water Damage is Covered:

• As the result of rain or snowstorm
• Plumbing: accidental overflow, faulty plumbing, frozen or burst pipes
• Fire suppression systems
• A leak in your roof (insurance would not cover the roof itself - just interior of the home)
• Accidental overflow of an appliance or fixture (washing machine, dishwasher, toilet, bathtub)
• Vandalism
• Mold when it is a result of a covered water loss

When Water Damage is Not Covered:

• Ground seepage
• Water or sewer pipe backups
• Flooding 
• Poorly maintained or neglected pipes that break

What Next?

Call your insurance company as soon as possible after noticing water damage in your home. Document affected areas and contents with photos that can clearly describe what happened to your adjuster. Call SERVPRO once your insurance is notified to begin mitigation immediately. Water damage spreads quickly and causes exponential amounts of damage if not remediated quickly. SERVPRO production managers will work with your insurance company directly so you don’t have to. Using advanced technologies and techniques we will make it "Like it never even happened."