Plumbing and Leaks Damage Claims: Everything You Need To Know About Plumbing and Leaks Damage Claims; Does Insurance Cover Them?

If plumbing leaks or a broken hot water heater has damaged your home, you could look at thousands of dollars in losses. For instance, plumbing leaks or defective appliances can extensively damage carpeting, woodwork and furniture. Additionally, walls and/or ceilings may have to be repaired or replaced because of broken pipes. If you file a plumbing and leaks damage claim with your homeowners’ insurance company, will they pay the claim?

It depends. Water damage claims are one of the most frequently filed insurance claims. Burst pipes, broken washing machines and leaking toilets are some of the most common causes of water damage in a home. However, not all water damage claims filed by homeowners are paid by homeowner insurance companies.

Why Do Insurance Companies Deny Plumbing and Leaks Damage Claims

Insurance companies write insurance policies that protect their insureds from unexpected events that damage their homes. For instance, a pipe could burst due to extremely low temperatures and damage the interior of a house. The homeowner policy should cover the cost to repair or replace the damaged parts of the house and personal property.

Consequently, the burst pipe is considered an unexpected event. However, what if there was a leak in a pipe leading to the bathtub or sink, and the leaking water damaged the ceiling and walls of the room below the bathroom? Will the homeowner insurance company deny the claim for the resulting damage?

As a matter of fact, the carrier may deny the claim for water damage because of the lack of maintenance by the homeowner. Indeed, insurance companies will deny water damage claims if they believe that the water leak took place over a long period of time.

Insurance policies require homeowners to properly maintain their property. Therefore, insurance policies exclude coverage for water damages due to the homeowner’s failure to maintain the plumbing system.

What Type of Water Damage Claims Does Homeowners Insurance Cover?

Homeowners’ insurance covers damages caused by sudden and accidental events.

Therefore, if a pipe freezes in cold weather and bursts, homeowner’s insurance will cover the damages caused by the burst pipe. This includes any damage to the structure of the house. Certainly, it also includes damage to the homeowner’s personal property. In addition, the homeowner’s policy would also cover the costs of tearing down walls or ceilings to get access to the burst pipe. Moreover, the cost to repair the walls/ceilings would also be considered covered water damage. However, if the homeowner filed a claim, the insurer would not cover the cost of replacing the burst pipe.

Likewise, if a washing machine broke down and flooded the basement, the insurer would cover the damage caused by the broken washing machine.

However, the insurer would not pay to repair or replace the washing machine.

Therefore, homeowner’s insurance covers the damages caused by leaks, not the source of those leaks.

Homeowner’s Insurance Does Not Cover Flood Damage

Typically, homeowners’ insurance policies do not cover flood damages. In fact, people who live in flood-prone areas have to go to FEMA’s National Flood Insurance Protection Program to get that coverage.
Additionally, homeowner’s insurance does not cover damage caused by outside sewers or drains that get backed up.

If You Need a Public Adjuster for a Plumbing and Leaks Damage Claim Call AllCity Adjusting

We are a family-owned claims company with five decades of combined adjusting experience. As a result, if there’s one thing we understand, it’s that you need 100% of your claim value.

Insurance companies undervalue your claim 8 out of 10 times. Moreover, they hire expensive adjusters to ensure they maintain a strong profit margin. Additionally, they have experienced actuaries that create insurance agency guidelines that help their team of agents challenge your insurance claim’s validity.

Obviously, you have already gone through a tumultuous event. For this reason, get an agency that gets you more. At AllCity Adjusting we work to ensure you get 100% of your claim value. Equally important, with over 50 years of combined adjusting experience, we know insurance companies and understand where they cut corners. Moreover, we help you build a larger claim and  maximize your claim value. We will get you back to normal fast. Don’t get fooled, get the company that gets you more.

If you have received a low-ball offer from the insurance company, or they are taking too long to process your claim, call us at 844.692.3587. Or, you can email us at info@allcityadhjusting.com.