If Your Fort Wayne Home Has Water Damage, Will Your Insurance Cover It?
The headache of having water damage in your home can be eased if your homeowner policy is properly endorsed. If you experience water damage, your insurance may or may not cover the loss. Insurance coverage usually depends on the source of the water. Check with your insurance company to see if you have coverage. There are generally 3 sources of water damage that affect coverage.
- Plumbing leaks such as a broken pipe, frozen pipe, leaky appliance, dishwasher, hotwater heater, washing machine overflow, icemaker/refrigerator water line, humidifier, water softner, well pump, overflowing bathtubs, broken toilets, burst water mains, and damaged washing machine hoses. Usually this damage is covered up to the value of your standard homeowners insurance policy.
- Sump Pump / Drain Back Up usually isn’t covered under your standard policy unless you have purchased a separate endorsement/rider. Usually these policies have a $5,000 or $10,000 limit. If you have a basement call your agent to verify you have this coverage and the limit. A $5,000 limit is not always enough coverage. When deciding on your limit, consider if your basement is finished, how large it is and what kind of belongings you have.
- Flooding from external water rising onto your land. Examples may be in areas that experience hurricanes, severe thunderstorms, low lying areas along rivers, lakes or oceans. Water damage caused by flooding is not covered under your homeowners insurance.
Home insurance companies do not offer flood insurance. If you are concerned about your risk of flood damage learn about the National Flood Insurance Program at www.FloodSmart.gov
Learn More About Local Fort Wayne Flood Information:
You Choose Who Restores Your Home. Referral Works With All Insurance Companies
If you make an insurance claim to restore your water damage, Referral Cleaning & Restoration and your agent / adjuster can help guide you through the process. Do not feel pressured to use the company your insurance agent / adjuster tells you to call. You are free to choose any contractor you want to work with. Insist on calling Referral Cleaning & Restoration, 260-483-4383 The repair contract is strictly between you and the contractor. Your insurance company does not warrant or guarantee the performance of any firm you hire. Some insurance companies have “preferred vendors” or restoration companies that agree to terms the insurance company makes in return for being sent restoration work. These terms may limit the restoration company in what actions they can take / equipment they can use without pre-approval from the insurance company. This may force the restoration company to alter the restoration of your home to fit the terms of the restoration company and not the best interests of the homeowner.
Insurance Deductible
If you file an insurance claim you will generally be responsible for your insurance deductible. Insurance deductibles usually range from $500 to $1000 depending on your policy. Referral collects this amount when we begin the restoration project.
Documentation
To assist you in working with your insurance company we will provide documentation from the project including:
- Digital photos from before, during and after the job.
- Images from a thermal imaging camera if taken.
- A record of psychometric and drying conditions throughout the project including temperature, relative humidity, grains of moisture.
- A detailed and itemized invoice. It is often impractical to give an accurate estimate because of the many variables involved in water damage restoration. We will keep accurate records and provide documentation for all invoiced items.