Even worse than having a flooded home, is having a flooded home that your insurance does not pay for. Fortunately, most instances of home flooding are covered by typical homeowner insurance policies. However, there are times in which the insurance company will decline an otherwise covered water loss. This makes it important to take heed to a few simple pieces of advice:
- Take immediate action to remove water. Insurance companies can decline coverage if they can show that immediate action was not taken to protect the dwelling in the case of water damage.
- Prevent secondary damage by removing water with an emergency water removal service. Secondary damage could be excluded from coverage if proper action, such as dehumidification, is not taken. Examples of secondary damage are: high humidity, cabinet disintegration, warped wood, warped cabinetry, crown molding peeling from drywall.
- Prevent mold growth with immediate action. Most insurance companies either exclude or limit mold remediation coverage regardless of the cause. If immediate action is taken in a covered loss, it is very likely that you will be covered fully by your insurance company for water removal necessitated by water damage.