I Have Water Damage, Now What?

You walk into your kitchen and prepare to wash your dishes.

As you turn on your faucet, you notice that the water is starting to fill up the sink and the sink stopper isn’t in the drain.

You also notice that water is starting to overflow in other drains of your home.

You call someone to come out and look at your drains, and they tell you that roots to one of your trees is causing the water back up.

Now what?

This would be one circumstance where water damage is covered by your homeowners policy.

If you’re encountering a water back up such as this one from either the drain, nearby sewer, or your own toilet, it’s important to know what may be covered if there’s damage to your home.

According to the Insurance Information Institute, water damage from backed up drains or failed pumps is one of the most common homeowners insurance claims and is the third most costly after fire and liability claims.

Courtesy of our partners at Safeco, these are a list of examples of what you could expect to be covered or not covered in the event of a water backup.

However, please note that your policy has the final say in what is and is not covered. This list should not be considered a replacement for your policy:

• Covered- Clogged shower drain and toilet resulting from an obstruction that causes damage to your home.
• Covered- Tree roots in your yard that cause blockages in your drains and leads to an overflow of water.
• Covered- Your home’s sump pump causes a flood of water in your basement. (Please note that sump pump coverage is a special add on coverage to most standard homeowners policies and is strongly recommended.)
• Not Covered- Flooding in your home from a river or dam.
• Not Covered- A broken sewer line that causes flooding into your home.
• Not Covered- Your swimming pool or sprinklers cause water to go underground into your home’s foundation.

If you are concerned about what may or may not be covered in your homeowner’s policy, reach out and we would be happy to review your policy and coverages with you even if we aren’t your agent.