When Your Insurance Will or Won't Cover a Basement Flood

5/23/2020 (Permalink)

Flooded basement in Fergus Falls, MN

You purchase insurance for emergencies and household disasters. You hope to never need to file a claim, but you are relieved when you have reliable coverage. Your homeowner's insurance plan will cover water damage under certain circumstances. These problems often occur in the lower level of your home, so you need to understand when your coverage goes into effect for a basement flood.

When Your Insurance Wouldn't Cover a Flood

Flooding can cause widespread damage. Excess water in your Fergus Falls, MN, home can destroy building materials, furniture, clothing, appliances, and electronics. You could lose precious belongings and even find mold once the water is gone. Your insurance company will not cover floods in these situations:

• When you fail to maintain or repair pipes or appliances
  
• When you deliberately cause the flood
  
• When the flood occurs due to a sewer backup or overflowing waterway
  
  

Unexpected Plumbing Issues
You could inspect the pipes in your home regularly and perform proper upkeep but still experience a basement flood. When a pipe bursts suddenly, your insurance company should accept your claim. The pipes could have been improperly installed by a plumber. Or, the materials could have been defective.

Unexpected Appliance Problems
Any homeowner's insurance coverage should pay for your claim if an appliance unexpectedly breaks, causing water to take over your home. If you do your part to maintain your appliances, but they still spring leaks or burst, you should not be responsible to pay a professional water damage remediation team to remove the water and rebuild the flooded basement.

Vandalism
If someone breaks into your home and purposefully causes a flood in your basement, your insurance plan will cover the damage. You will also have coverage if someone enters your home and misuses your plumbing systems or appliances, causing water damage.
Dealing with a basement flood can be devastating. Fortunately, there are many instances where you would have help from your insurance company to clean up the mess and rebuild your home.