Understanding water damage and insurance

7/3/2020 (Permalink)

Water damage and insurance

Understanding the source of the water will help you understand which insurance coverage is needed if you have water damage.  

In general, homeowners insurance and renters insurance provide coverage if the rain comes from the top down, such as burst pipes, rainfall, or burst sprinklers.  

Typically, water that comes from the bottom up, such as an overflowing river, is covered by a separate flood insurance policy.   This type of policy can be purchased from the federal government's National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) and from some private insurers.  Check with your local insurance agent and they can help you secure one of these policies to help protect from this type of water damage.  

Some policies cover sewer and drain backups, but many do not.  However, you can purchase a sewer backup rider to your homeowners or renters coverage.

Be sure to check with your local insurance carriers to ensure you have the proper coverage for your home or business.

SERVPRO of Savannah is happy to communicate and coordinate with your insurance company if you have water damage to help the process go smoother for you.