Does My Homeowner’s Insurance Cover That?

One of the most common concerns we hear from our customers at the beginning of any restoration project is whether or not our work is going to be covered by their homeowner’s insurance policy. Unfortunately, without seeing the policy we cannot give a concrete 100 percent answer to that. However, after restoring hundreds of homes since ICC Restoration opened for business to serve Woodbury and surrounding areas, we have a pretty good idea when we see the type of loss you’ve had in your home whether or not your policy will cover it.

Most simply put, there are two categories: flood damage and water damage. Flood damage is when water comes in from outside your home, and generally, in instances where that flooding is due to a swollen river or lake, that won’t be covered by a standard homeowner insurance policy. This type of damage requires actual flood insurance. On the flip side, if a pipe bursts in your home and your basement is flooded, it’s probably covered. That is considered water damage.

There is a bit of a third category to this: damage caused by a lack of routine or proper maintenance. For example, if you knowingly allow a pipe beneath the kitchen sink to leak for weeks without fixing the problem, your policy may not foot the bill for the repairs. Chances are if you’ve waited this long, the damage is pretty extensive as well and you’re not only looking at water damage, you’re looking at mold growth.

If you aren’t sure what exactly is on your insurance policy, we certainly suggest speaking with your insurance agent about your coverage sooner than later. And, if you’re calling us once the water loss has happened, rest assured that we also will work with your insurance company to see what is covered and what is not so you understand what you’re dealing with right off the bat.

There are also obvious concerns about how much the project is going to cost and how long it is going to take. Our skilled estimators will work closely with your insurance adjuster to assess the damage, create a scope for the work and what it will cost, and a timeline to get the repairs done. Every situation is unique. However, you’ll see as the restoration process gets underway, we communicate often about as much as we can so you will understand the costs from start to finish of the project so there are no gray areas, and hopefully no surprises.

If you aren’t exactly sure what your insurance policy covers, it’s a good idea to set up a meeting with your local insurance agent sooner than later to go over your policy and talk about any additional coverage you may want to add. Often, adding on coverage for items like sewage overflow or backup only adds a few dollars to the premium every month, but can go a long way in offering home and business owners peace of mind that if they were to have a loss like that, their insurance policy would have them covered.