Does Your Insurance Policy Cover Broken Pipes?

4/9/2020 (Permalink)

Flooded kitchen in St Clair County

Imagine coming home from work to find your worst nightmare of a flood in the bathroom or kitchen. Water can cause a ton of damage in a small amount of time. Luckily, your insurance provider may help you pay for emergency restoration services.

What Is Covered

A typical homeowner's insurance policy pays for the harm caused by an unforeseen or sudden issue. Your insurance may cover damage that results from the following problems:

• Leaking air conditioner
• Cracked pipe or water tank
• Broken washing machine
  
  

Keep in mind that your policy will only cover water damage caused by an emergency within your home. It does not include harm caused by a weather event such as a rainstorm or hurricane. It also doesn’t cover destruction resulting from overflowing sewers. However, you can purchase a separate flood insurance policy to protect your home from these potential disasters.
The insurance company can also deny your claim if it determines that the flooding was caused by your negligence. Specifically, if the insurer concludes that your failure to properly maintain your pipes caused them to break or burst, you may have to pay for repairs yourself. This means you should check your pipes regularly and address any small cracks or leaks immediately. Those who live in colder climates should also take steps to prevent pipes from freezing.

Initial Versus Resulting Damage

This insurance money can be used to clean and replace items that were harmed or destroyed by the excess water. Insurance should even cover the cost of removing the water and preventing mold growth. However, many policies do not include the expense of repairing the item that caused the flood in the first place. You will likely have to pay to fix the broken pipe or appliance yourself.
If your St Clair County, home suffers a water emergency, your insurance coverage can make the repair process less painful. However, in order to ensure that the provider accepts your claim, you should perform regular maintenance on your appliances and pipes.