Water Damage To Your Home
Many people have no clue as to what types of water damage is covered under their home or business insurance policy. Homeowners and business owners are becoming confused, hearing about mold insurance claims getting denied, and lots of questions arise about water damage to their homes. This article will go on to explain what types of damage is covered by your home insurance or your business policy and what you should do if your house has damage.
What Water Damage will your Home Insurance Policy cover?
Homeowners policies don’t cover damages from a flood, you would need to purchase flood insurance if you want to be specifically covered for water damage caused by a flood. Your home insurance policy would pay for damage from rain coming through a hole or a window if the hole had been caused by strong storm winds. But if you have a pipe leaking inside your house that created water damage over time, that wouldn’t be covered. It simply comes down to if your water damage was caused by a covered event such as a storm or if the water damage happened because you failed to keep your house repaired which would not be covered. If you are unsure as to what kind of water damage is covered, carefully read through your home insurance policy or call your the company.
Avoid Mold: Cleaning Up After a Disaster
It is very important you take steps to repair your water damage because if you let the damage linger it could cause further damage as well as health risks. Don’t ignore obvious signs of a water problem in your house! You need to immediately try to find any leaks and repair them from the source. When you let water leak in your house, moisture builds up and mold will grow. Mold will eat through the building’s structure and gradually cause health problems that could become serious. Mold exposure causes a wide variety of health effects such as coughs, nosebleeds, runny noses, sinusitis and congestion and even more serious upper respiratory problems such as bronchitis and asthma. Many insurance companies don’t cover mold damage but it might be covered if it was caused by a covered peril such as a storm. As soon as you discover any water damage, report it to your insurance agent before it gets any worse.
Water Damage Caused By a Storm
When there is a storm, if water gets into your home, you need to dry up all the wet areas and set up air circulation to help everything dry. Water can come into your house or place of business from roof damage, or damaged gutters, or from a leaking basement. To prevent additional damage, cover all areas with a tarp. By drying, covering and dehumidifying all wet areas you can attempt to minimize the chance that mold will form from the water damage. Flooding can happen if a storm causes a river level to rise. Of course, always contact your insurance agent as soon as possible so that you can begin the homeowners insurance or business insurance policy claims process.
Moisture Damage Over a Period of Time
If you find water or moisture damage that appears to be from a leakage existing for a period of time, mold might have developed and the chances your claim will be covered are very slim. In this situation, trying to cleanup the mold now will spread the mold spores and cause more property damage and increased health risks. Mold is extremely dangerous to your health and it is crucial that you have a professional restoration expert come to cleanup the damage. Obvious damage from flooding can be cleaned up but mold growth isn’t always apparent. Moisture behind drywall can be detected using specialized equipment from a certified disaster restoration contractor. Typically insurance policies have a cap or limit of what the insurance company is willing to pay towards mold removal. Prepare to cover at least some of the clean up expense out of your pocket, that means shopping around on search engines to select a competent disaster restoration company in your area. Contact your home insurance company to check if any of the damage is covered with your policy and call a professional disaster restoration company immediately.
