Water Damage: What Cannot Be Refused?

Posted by George Archer on July 26, 2010 Leave a comment Go to comments

Water Damage is the damage done to any property caused by water, either from an inside source or an outside one. It can be slow and barely noticeable or it can be sudden like a flood.

There are many reasons why this type of damage can occur besides flooding: overflow in household appliances such as dishwashers, broken pipes and clogged toilets, cracks in the foundation and bad weather such as heavy snowfalls and rain.

It is often categorized into three groups according to the contamination present in the water and the threat to public health it poses. The first group is Category 1 in which the water is clean and does not represent a threat to human health. Category 2 is when the water is called gray water and does have significant levels of contaminants present in the water such as urine in overflowing toilet water. Category 3 is black water, grossly contaminated water, which poses an immediate health hazard. An example of this would be backed up sewage.

Damage like this can cause long term and serious illnesses caused by mold, ranging from a wide variety of respiratory problems, rashes and migraines.

Water damage claims are the biggest group of claims filed by homeowners to their insurance adjusters. However, discovery of what their policies will actually pay for leads to a rude awakening for these people.

Proper home maintenance can make the difference between an accepted claim or one that is rejected. If your pipes freeze during an unexpected cold snap and burst, then you will probably get paid for the damages but not for the pipes. However, the claim will be rejected if you left the house unoccupied and unheated. You are considered negligent and will not receive any money at all.

When dealing with the insurance company, it is very important to describe exactly what happened in the most truthful manner. What is said at the beginning of the claim process can affect the outcome of your claim. Remember that the insurance company has a very narrowly defined meaning of what a flood is. To the adjuster, a flood means an overflow of water from an outside source such as a river, lake or stream. If the pipes burst in your basement, then what happened was not a flood. Neither is sewer backup or seepage from a septic tank, which is considered a fault of poor maintenance.

Make sure to video tape all areas after the damage has occurred. Dealing with your insurance company is the next step but be warned. Some financial counselors advise not to place a claim if it is under $1000. Some people who have filed such claims have been struck off coverage because they simply telephoned their agent. Then the insurers blacklisted these properties.

Any calls about claims are entered in a database called the Comprehensive Loss Underwriting Exchange and all insurers have access to this information as well. Some companies will cancel coverage even if one claim of this type has been filed by the homeowner.

Despite all this, cleaning up after water damage is a top priority for you. Remove all belongings from the affected area as soon as possible since mold can start to grow in as little as 24 to 48 hours. There are cleaning and restoration companies that deal only with water damage and they are usually on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Keep track of all your expenses, read your policy and then call your adjuster.

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