“I work on-call with the federal government doing damage assessments following natural disasters. This is the season when I review water damage. I see home after home where the owners thought they were fully covered only to find out they have zero coverage for the water damage on their home insurance policy.
When water enters your home, HOW it got there is critical to your home insurance policy covering the damage. If it seeps in because the sump pump broke, could not keep up, or had no power, then you might be covered. If the floor drain backs up and lets sewage into your home, you might not be covered. Check your policy or call your agent to be sure you have coverage for these types of common occurrences.
If your yard does not drain away properly or maybe your neighbor’s yard drains toward your home, then you are probably not covered. When a severe storm hits, the runoff will be more than normal. If the water breaks a window or finds another way in, it is overland runoff and that is not covered under most home insurance policies.
Is there a river or stream anywhere near your home? Rising water (flood) is not typically covered under your homeowner’s policy. You may need to buy flood insurance under the federal program. Your insurance agent can help you buy this coverage.
Recently I heard of a neighborhood lake that hasn’t been maintained for the past 40 years and the owner doesn’t have the hundreds of thousands of dollars needed to fix the dam. Neither does the owner have the liability coverage or assets to fix the water damage if the dam fails. There are 25 homes below the dam that are at risk of flooding and have no water damage protection unless they buy flood insurance on their own. No one advised them or their insurance companies of the risk. The only ones who are certain to have any protection are those who have bought flood insurance.”
Tony Drew is the owner of Handyfolks, Inc and is a licensed and insured residential contractor in Overland Park, Kansas. Handyfolks, Inc serves the entire Kansas City metro area and provides full-service remodeling services for kitchens, bathrooms, basements and full house renovations. Handyfolks, Inc also specializes in small home repair jobs. If you need a handyman or remodeler in the Kansas City area, contact Tony at 913-269-7191 or tony@handykc.com.