Water damage or other natural disasters can suddenly and unfortunately ruin a house. Though the home may look fine on the outside, the carpets, floors, walls, and furniture on the inside is often ruined. Then, to make matters worse, it is almost guaranteed that mold will start growing on the property. The home has suddenly become unsafe after a one day flood. Does that mean it’s the end for that home?
Not necessarily. Professional restoration services, like our own, work hard to help homeowners get their home back to the way it was before.
We serve in and around: Los Angeles, San Diego, Lemon Grove, Fresno, Santa Ana, Riverside, San Bernardino, Moreno Valley, Rancho Cucamonga, Long Beach, San Jose, San Francisco, Sacramento, Temecula and most of California.
It can take a lot of time and careful planning, but you can eventually restore your water damaged home to its original state. You might even make it better. The funding for these restorations usually comes from your insurance company.
Is Water Damage Always Covered?
Unfortunately, water damage may not always be covered by your insurance policy. It will depend on the source of the damage and the specifics of your policy.
It is best to familiarize yourself with the small details and to purchase a policy that covers a broad variety of damages and natural disaster scenarios.
Sudden water damage is often covered by home insurance policies. The wording might sound simple, but the specifics can still get confusing. Various insurance providers will word their policies different, which makes it even more difficult to know what is and is not covered.
It might seem like any water damage to your home could be considered sudden water damage, but the insurance providers don’t work that way.
Most policies define this type of water damage as a “sudden, unexpected, and accidental surge of water”. For example, if one of the kids leaves the faucet running while you are away for the weekend and it floods the house, then this may be considered sudden, unexpected, and accidental.
What About Natural Floods?
That does not mean that a natural flood is covered by this policy. Home insurance policies rarely ever cover floods under their sudden water damage policy.
Flood insurance is always purchased separately from standard home insurance and water damage insurance. You must often buy a secondary flood insurance policy from your policy provider. Thus, as a homeowner, it is good to purchase both of these policies or a special umbrella policy that includes both.
What About Leaks?
One final source of water damage that should be addressed is leaking pipes. In most cases, neither homeowner’s insurance or flood insurance covers a leaking pipe. Most insurance policies will consider a leaking pipe to be a maintenance issue that should have been addressed.
Water damage that comes from a pipe leaking over a period of time is not usually covered. You may find that your insurance policy differs somewhat when it comes to the wording or what is allowed. Some companies are more generous than others and cover a broader range of damage.
Once you have the specifics of your insurance policy figured out simply pick up your phone and call our offices at America’s Restoration Pro. We will help to restore your home no matter where the damage came from!
Here are some of the most popular carries we work with (among others):
