What To Expect From Your Insurance Company After a Broken Pipe

1/5/2022 (Permalink)

After A Pipe Break, What Should You Expect From Your Insurance Company?

You walk into your kitchen and step into an inch of standing water. Upon quick inspection, you discover that a broken pipe under the sink is the cause of the flood. Your mind automatically starts figuring how much this is going to cost. Will your insurance policy cover part of it, and if so, how much?

Likely Coverage

Your insurance company probably considers plumbing repair to be part of regular home maintenance. Therefore, not many insurance policies will cover the cost to fix a broken pipe. However, the water damage that occurs as a result of the leak is a different story. Most homeowners’ policies cover water damage to:

• Flooring, including tiles and carpet
• Cabinets
• Walls
• Ceilings

Your insurance adjuster in Rosemont,IL, knows that water damage only gets worse the longer it stands. The company has a vested interest, therefore, in making sure you have the means to fix problems caused by the flood as soon as possible.

Possible Denial

While your insurance coverage should take care of the damage to your home, there are certain instances where your claim could be denied. If the water volume is significant and rises quickly, the damage is probably too great to be covered by a standard property policy. You may need to depend on your separate policy designed specifically for flooding in that case. If the adjuster can tell that the damage was caused by a long-term leak that resulted in a broken pipe, or if the pipe broke as the result of improper heating or insulation around it, the insurance company may see this as neglect. Your claim is likely to be denied if it seems that the water damage was caused by your failure to fix an existing problem.

The key to getting your insurance claim accepted after a flood from a broken pipe is timely reporting. Call your agent, and then call water remediation specialists who can start repairs quickly.