Does your Paradise Valley home insurance cover ALL water damage? Ask the SERVPRO experts

10/1/2020 (Permalink)

Call SERVPRO of Paradise Valley if you experience a washing machine supply line failure or water damage such as the one shown above @ 602-341-6737.

The answer is – It depends! Most homeowners insurance policies help cover water damage if the cause is sudden and accidental. For example, you’d probably be protected if an upper level pipe bursts, soaking the basement ceiling below or if the washing machine water supply hose fails, damaging the flooring. However, please be aware that most policies won’t cover the source of the damage, meaning your insurance carrier wouldn’t pay to repair or replace the washing machine or the water heater pipe that had burst. Please note that your standard homeowners insurance most likely will not cover water backup from an OUTSIDE sewer/drain or flood damage but according to allstate.com, you have the option of adding water backup coverage to your policy as well as flood insurance through the National Flood Insurance Program. This is especially a good idea if you live in a flood prone area but it’s not required to include this type of insurance. Another thing to keep in mind is that your insurance will pay for covered damages less your deductible and will only pay for covered claims up to the limit (maximum amount your insurance will pay toward a covered claim) for each type of coverage. Depending on the water damage, the two types of coverage within a homeowners insurance policy that typically apply to water damage claims are dwelling coverage and personal property coverage. Dwelling coverage refers to damage to the structure of the home and personal property coverage refers to damage to personal belongings inside the home.

To recap –
Homeowners insurance does not cover certain types of water damage, such as:

1. Damage from Unresolved Maintenance Issues
2. Replacing or Repairing the Source of Water Damage
3. Water Backup from an Outside Sewer or Drain
4. Flood

All in all, we recommend discussing your insurance policy in depth with your agent so that when disaster strikes, you are prepared and fully aware of your coverage limits. Regardless, SERVPRO of Paradise Valley is here to help 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Our IICRC certified technicians are fully equipped to make it "Like it never even happened," and our team is willing to work with you despite any coverage denials.

For more information, please visit your insurance carrier's website.