Does Homeowners Insurance Cover Water Damage?

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Does Homeowners Insurance Cover Water Damage?

The answer is, it depends on how the water gets into your home.

It also depends on what type of homeowners insurance you have.

For a standard, special form policy, an easy way to think about water damage is:

  • Water from above – Covered
  • Water from below – Not covered without endorsement
  • Water over foundation – Not covered without flood insurance

How To Cover Water Damage With Homeowners 

Insurance

There are three main ways that water can get into your home. Here’s the breakdown on each is covered by your homeowners insurance.

Water From Above

On a standard special form homeowners insurance policy, (or HO3 policy if you want to get nerdy), water from above, meaning water that comes down through your roof, up under and down through eaves, in through window sills, or resulting water damage from a pipe burst is all going to be covered on your homeowners insurance.

There are many ways that water can get into your house from above, and as a general rule (not absolute), the resulting damage will be covered.

Water From Below

There is an endorsement to cover water that comes up from below your home through sewers and drains called a Water and Sewer Backup Coverage.

It’s a standard endorsement you can apply to your homeowners’ insurance policy. It does have an extra fee, but that fee is small versus the overall cost of homeowners’ insurance.

Water Over The Foundation

If water enters your home by coming up over your foundation, this most often a flood scenario. Flood is never covered, even through endorsement, on your homeowners’ insurance.

Flood insurance is a separate policy that you can take out. Depending on where you live and the flood zone you’re in, there are different options for flood insurance.

Damage To Service Lines

Damage done to service lines, meaning the lines that come from the street to your home to deliver water, sewer, internet, electricity, etc are NOT covered on your homeowners’ insurance.

You can, however, buy an endorsement as well to your home insurance that will provide coverage.

The Take Away

Water damage is covered on your homeowners’ insurance, but to what extent is determined by the type of policy, the cause of the water getting into your home and what additional endorsements you’ve purchased for your policy.

If you have questions about your homeowners’ insurance, both either a coverage or price perspective, or you want to make sure you’re working with a great company who’s always going to be there when you need them, give us a call.

We are homeowners insurance experts, it’s what we do all day long here at Western States.

If we aren’t your insurance professional, we should be! 

You can contact us at 801.798.7461 or matt@westernstatesinsurance.net.

 

Thank you and have a great day,

Matt Barber

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