Does my homeowners insurance cover a water leak or its damages? As an insurance professional in the Orlando, Atlanta, or Brevard area, you get phone calls from clients asking this same question. The answer isn’t always an easy one!
Unresolved maintenance issues, such as a small pinhole water leak behind the kitchen sink or a gradual leak behind the upstairs bathtub, may not be covered under most insurance policies.
The damage resulting from a slowly developing condition is considered, Gradual Water Damage. Usually resulting from corrosion, rot, deterioration, and normal wear and tear, not a sudden event.
Thought the homeowner ‘had no idea there was a leak in the plumbing’, it is ultimately the homeowner’s responsibility to keep up on the maintenance both inside and outside, on a regular basis. Home ownership is a big undertaking!
Homeowners may come home to water all over the floor from a pipe bursting from their upstairs bathroom, or from behind the hot water heater. To them this may feel like a sudden water damage. Though it may be an emergency situation, the cause is usually from lack of maintenance and often is not covered under most insurance policies.
The best thing homeowner’s can do is to speak with their insurance agent and understand what is covered and what isn’t. It can be very confusing, damage from water can be specific to each policy and insurance company. The last thing you want is a homeowner end up with thousands of damages and find out their insurance doesn’t cover it.
The Leak Doctor specializes in working with insurance companies, we establish relationships with the adjuster, speak their language, process and deliver accurate claims. Our state of the art technology enables us to locate the leak quickly and with the least amount of disruption.
The Leak Doctor strives for quality performance with electronically generated reports, clearly written with all the details, available within 24 hours. Photographs taken before and after for documentation and communication with the adjuster while on the job site about the findings.
