Talking With Insurance Companies

Finding standing water in your basement is probably not something you will enjoy discovering, yet there are times when this occurs. If you end up with a flooded basement, there is always a chance that your homeowner's insurance will cover the damages, but this will depend on several different factors. The primary factor it depends on is the cause of the flooding.

Floods from rain or storms are never covered

The first thing to know about homeowner's insurance is that it does not ever cover damages caused by floods that happen from rain or storms. In other words, if your community is hit by a hurricane that causes flooding throughout your entire home, your home insurance policy is not going to provide coverage for this. Home insurance simply does not include this type of coverage. To cover this type of event, you would need to have flood insurance. Flood insurance is a special type of coverage that is only needed for times when storms hit areas and cause floods in towns and homes.

Floods from other problems are usually covered

While a storm that causes flooding in your home might not be covered under your policy, there are a lot of other things that can lead to a flooded basement that your policy will likely cover. One example is a flood caused by a broken plumbing pipe. If a pipe in your home suddenly bursts and starts spraying water into your basement, you could end up with a lot of damage very quickly if you are not home to turn the water off. If this happens, you will likely receive compensation from your insurance company for the damages you experienced.

Another cause of flooding that will likely be covered under your home insurance policy is flooding caused by a broken appliance. For example, if your hot water heater leaks and you end up with standing water in the basement, this problem should be covered with your policy. Or, if your washing machine leaks all over the floor, this should also be covered.

The only time a problem like this would not be covered is if the problem occurred from lack of maintenance. If you knew your washer had problems yet you did not fix the issues, you might end up having to pay for the damages out of your own pocket.

If you have questions about your policy and what it covers, talk to your homeowner's insurance agent today.