When you have true flood damage versus water damage in Dallas Fort Worth, Texas, it is important to know what your insurance policy covers in terms of various water flood scenarios. Your water damage claim may be denied due to incorrect terminology or coding. Be an informed consumer and read your policy carefully.
Insurance companies generally do not cover natural geological events, such as landslides, hurricanes, earthquakes, and floods. Insurance companies are very specific in their definition of what constitutes a flood. That narrow definition specifies that a flood is an overflow from a natural body of water, such as a lake or ocean.
Water damage occurs when water enters your Dallas Fort Worth home other than through an overflow from a body of water. Depending on your particular insurance policy, many water-related emergencies are covered, but there are multiple scenarios of what is covered and under what conditions. When you know what your water damage policy covers, you will know what language to use to describe the situation for your claim to be approved. That means if your water heater explodes and “floods” your Dallas Fort Worth home or your washing machine overflows and your basement has 3 “of standing water, it doesn’t qualify under the definition of a true flood, which is good because it is Your insurance will likely cover these water damage scenarios, just don’t use the word “flood” when filing your claim.
Here are some examples of water emergencies and their outcome, based on your insurance company’s interpretation of the events that led to the damage.
Water damage from broken frozen pipes
Most insurance policies cover you for broken frozen pipes; However, if you went on vacation and did not turn on the heat in your Dallas, Texas home during subzero weather, your claim will most likely be rejected because you were unable to anticipate the events, which caused the damage. .
Water damage from overflowing appliances
Most insurance policies would cover an overflow from your washing machine flooding your basement. However, the insurance company may argue for improper maintenance of the washing machine, in which case the replacement parts of the washing machine would not be covered by your insurance.
Water damage from roof leaks
Your insurance will likely cover your water-damaged home and furniture in Dallas, but it wouldn’t cover the cost of repairing your roof because that’s considered a homeowner’s regular maintenance responsibility.
Water damage from a leaking pool
Your insurance would cover your pool leaks that end up damaging and flooding your basement; however, if your lawn were to be damaged in this particular scenario, the lawn would not be covered.
Water damage not covered by insurance
What flooding emergencies would not be covered by your insurance?
Water dripping from the ground and damaging the basement and foundation is considered a maintenance problem rather than an accidental problem. Sewage backup issues are not covered by standard policies, although additional coverage can be purchased through endorsements. Although floods are the leading cause of natural disasters in the United States, the standard homeowners insurance policy does not cover floods; however, if you live in a flood risk area, you can purchase such a policy from the government if your community participates in the National Flood Insurance Program. More information on specific flood hazards is available at http://www.floodsmart.gov/floodsmart/.
The examples above show that when you call your insurance company to file a water damage claim, you must be honest, but keep in mind that you must be factual in your description of the water damage. Know what your policy does and doesn’t cover and present your situation accurately, without using words or terms that raise a red flag for the person on the other side. For example, if your water heater blew up and you say when making a claim that your home was simply flooded, that is not within the strict interpretation of the insurance company’s definition of flooding. So even though for you your home is flooded because you are submerged in 3 “of water, when you report the incident to your insurance company, just state the facts: your home is full of water due to the exploded water heater.