You come home from a weekend away to find the house flooded. Now you’re confronted with a problem that needs immediate attention. Is the damage covered? More likely than not your insurance company will send out an expert to determine the source of the water, how long the water has been accumulating, and other issues that relate to whether or not your damage will be covered under your homeowner’s policy.
Time Restrictions Apply
The general rule is that most insurance policies penalize property insurance policyholders on water losses unless the property owner was present at the property for a period of time before the loss. Their argument would be that if you had been there at the home, the loss either would not have occurred, or if it did, the damage would not be as bad as it ultimately was. This is one of the only exclusions in insurance policies with this kind of condition and often catches homeowners off guard. Many people do leave their homes for 30 days or more, when it is a second home in another state. Additionally, for adult children caring for aging adults who have been moved out of the home, this can catch you unaware.
Gradual, Seepage, or Sudden Burst?
Plus, not all of these water loss insurance policy exclusions are written the same way. For example, some of the policies focus on whether the leak was “gradual,” “seepage” of water over time. In this form of the exclusion, the primary concern will be whether the pipe was a drip or a burst. The biggest difference between this exclusion and others is that there are no time restrictions, as it does not require notice to the insurance company within a particular period of time. Other exclusions will require notice to the insurance company within 14 days of the first drop of water. These are difficult because many homeowners concede they do not necessarily note when the issue first presented itself.
Overall, our homeowners’ insurance clients find these provisions very frustrating and unpredictable. In the end, it is a good idea to read your policy carefully to determine what’s excluded. If you cannot make heads or tails of the policy, ask us and we can take a look for you. Stay dry, and call us if you have any problems.
