by Insurance Maze » Mon Nov 05, 2007 01:31 pm
Water leakage is a problem and one that is not covered under homeowners insurance. So, the best thing one can do is to be cautious and keep a regular check. Homeowners insurance would typically refuse any claim related to water leakage over a period of time. It would be categorized under negligence. However, under certain special circumstances, your insurer may provide coverage against damage from a water leak.
Does homeowners insurance cover water damage?
Yes, it does but very specific types. Homeowners insurance would not cover damages from flood. Flood insurance is a separate policy that you need to purchase. It would also not cover damage caused by a leaking pipe in your home, but would cover damage from rain getting inside the house through a hole in the roof or a broken window if the hole or the broken window was a result of a storm or extreme weather conditions. If the water damage was due to your negligence, home insurance would not cover it. If you do not know what kind of water damage is covered by your insurance company, go through your policy papers for details.
If there are damages from a storm in your house make sure you dry all the wet areas after the storm has passed away. Provide air circulation to the wet areas cover them with tar if possible to prevent further damage. This will help minimize the possibility of mould growing in your home.
If there are damages from a storm in your house make sure you dry all the wet areas after the storm has passed away. Provide air circulation to the wet areas cover them with tar if possible to prevent further damage. This will help minimize the possibility of mould growing in your home.
What duty do you have as a homeowner?
It is your duty to keep a check on all fixtures in your home. See to it that they are all maintained well. If there has been any water damage make sure you remedy it as soon as possible. Even a small leakage can lead to mould that would further damage your property. It also causes health hazards like asthma, sinusitis and bronchitis.
Mould damage may be covered but only if it was caused by a leak that grew due to a storm. If your house has built up mould, make sure you get it cleaned professionally. Amateurs may cause it to spread the spores more.
Insurance companies investigate before they can give the policyholders their money for the loss. Adjusters inspect the areas where the damage occurred and they do find out if the leakage had been for over a period of time or if it had been a sudden outburst. So, it is no use lying to the insurance company. Being honest is the only option open to you.
Mould damage may be covered but only if it was caused by a leak that grew due to a storm. If your house has built up mould, make sure you get it cleaned professionally. Amateurs may cause it to spread the spores more.
Insurance companies investigate before they can give the policyholders their money for the loss. Adjusters inspect the areas where the damage occurred and they do find out if the leakage had been for over a period of time or if it had been a sudden outburst. So, it is no use lying to the insurance company. Being honest is the only option open to you.
I have a rather unusual situation with a client and a well-known preferred home insurance carrier. What do you think?
One day the insured came home and for whatever reason he leaned against the bathroom wall and it suddenly collapsed.
The sheetrock was soaked and so was the insulation inside the wall and mold and mildew was everywhere. There was a small pin-hole leak in a water pipe that obviously had been leaking for quite some time.
The insured called the insurance company to report the incident, a claim was filed and an adjustor came to look at the damage.
The claim was denied by the insurance company because the standard HO-3 homeowners' policy specifically "Excludes" a loss as the result of a water leak over an extended period of time.
If this had been a sudden erruption of a water line, a leaking dishwasher, or a leaking fill line to the ice-maker, it would have been covered. Because this leak had been "over an extended period of time" it was not covered.
So, are we to lean against all of our walls everyday just to see if we might have a water leak?
One day the insured came home and for whatever reason he leaned against the bathroom wall and it suddenly collapsed.
The sheetrock was soaked and so was the insulation inside the wall and mold and mildew was everywhere. There was a small pin-hole leak in a water pipe that obviously had been leaking for quite some time.
The insured called the insurance company to report the incident, a claim was filed and an adjustor came to look at the damage.
The claim was denied by the insurance company because the standard HO-3 homeowners' policy specifically "Excludes" a loss as the result of a water leak over an extended period of time.
If this had been a sudden erruption of a water line, a leaking dishwasher, or a leaking fill line to the ice-maker, it would have been covered. Because this leak had been "over an extended period of time" it was not covered.
So, are we to lean against all of our walls everyday just to see if we might have a water leak?
Posted: Mon Mar 21, 2011 02:23 am Post Subject: Leaky Patio Door
We have been slowly stripping away counters and flooring in our kitchen in preparation for remodeling. Today I took up the linoleum floor and found that water has been seeping in from the corners of our patio sliding door, causing dry rot. Looks like the previous owner had gotten a fly-by-night contractor to hammer in some pieces of wood to "repair" the studs. We'll need to replace the patio door and re-frame the whole thing. Any of this covered?
Posted: Sat Mar 26, 2011 09:21 am Post Subject: FiCLlwPuHLBtQAf
About3354.. Bang-up :)
Posted: Sat Mar 26, 2011 11:55 pm Post Subject: water into my garage
Due to the pouring rain in the past week, water leaked into my underground garage from pg&e room next to my garage, water drained through the conduit that connected to outside vault on the street. At first, the pg&e room flooded and water began to drain into my garage. Will the HOW be responsible for this or the PG&E. This is the second time it has happened. I was told this issue was fixed three months ago, but obvious not.
Pleas advice., Thanks.
Posted: Wed Mar 30, 2011 01:30 pm Post Subject: presure side water leak
We suddenly have water slowly seeping up through our tile in the half bath/utility room area. It was just recently noticed. Our coverage is with a very reputable company. Is a pressure side leak normally covered if promptly reported? We have a plumbing company coming out today.
Posted: Thu Apr 07, 2011 03:38 am Post Subject: Leak under cabinet
My husband and I unknowingly bought a nightmare of a house...bad inspection, bad advice, BAD decision. We had previous termite damage that "fixed" with two loose cinder blocks and some loose 2x4s stacked on top of one another holding up the floor in our son's BR that the home inspector "missed". When the floor started to buckle my husband found the damage and we contacted our insurance company and while they were out I also noted that the floor in our kitchen had started sagging. Of course, the insurance wouldn't cover the BR floor because of termite damage and pre-existing condition. And the adjustor said that he didn't see any water damage to the kitchen floor. He thought it was the weight and positioning of our new frig.
A couple of months later, I started to straighten up under the sink and picked up a bottle of jet dry in our "cleaner bucket" and noticed it was wet. After further investigation, the entire bottom of the cabinet was wet, but had been hidden under mesh lining and our cleaner bucket. The water had been leaking into the bucket which had tiny holes that would then leak onto the bottom of the hardwood cabinet. The mesh was protecting the rest of the items in the cabinet. We had cardboard boxes under the cabinet that were dry as a bone.
Our insurance policy says that slow leaks are covered if they are hidden in the walls. Would under the cabinet in had a hidden leak under our kitchen sink in the base cabinet?
Posted: Thu Apr 14, 2011 11:48 am Post Subject:
First of all i want to ask you one question. Did you take advice or guidance of any insurance professional? Don't take me wrong but i have seen many cases where insurance companies send out their loss adjusters so that they pay as little money as possible to the insured for their claims.
Loss assessors are those insurance professionals who work only for you. So i think you should go for some professional assistance.
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Loss Assessors
Posted: Fri Apr 15, 2011 11:58 am Post Subject:
Sir . . .
Please keep your Indian understanding of insurance in India.
Posted: Fri Apr 22, 2011 10:17 am Post Subject: wChVeQOGHJZEKSzVszn
About3354.. Corking :)
Posted: Thu May 05, 2011 12:02 am Post Subject: Condo Roof Leak
I am a home owner of a small apartment complex. One of the owners recently experienced a leak. The leak resulted in mold. The homeowner association insurance denied the claim and this owner is asking all owners to pay for the damage claiming that the leak was from outside and it was the responsibility of the association. Is he correct? Do we have to pay. The bi-laws is silient on this.
Posted: Thu May 05, 2011 05:11 am Post Subject:
What caused the leak? A leak "from outside" is not descriptive. Mold is now excluded from coverage on most dwelling policies across the US, and is likely not something covered by the association CC&Rs. If that is true, then no one other than the tenant/occupant of the dwelling in question is responsible for the mold remediation.
However, if the "leak from outside" was caused by something that is the responsibility of the association, such as irrigation pipe or rain gutters, then the association may be liable for the damage. That could result in an assessment against all other owners if not covered by insurance.
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