Lancaster Water Damage--Insurance Information and Suggestions

4/30/2016 (Permalink)

Water Covering Lancaster Living Room Needs Extraction from SERVPRO

SERVPRO Works with Insurance Companies to Restore Your Lancaster Property Water Damage

Experiencing water damage to your home can be stressful and expensive. It is always in your best interest to have water removal in Lancaster done as soon as possible to prevent further damages to your home and therefore save as much money as possible. Understanding some common water damage situations beforehand and what your insurance company may cover will be very helpful in case you do experience this type of problem.

The pipes in your home freeze and burst, leaving your floor covered in six inches of water.
You will be covered under your insurance for the water damage done by the water from burst pipes. However, most policies won’t cover you if you’ve left your home without heat and unoccupied. Your claim will be denied in this case since you haven’t performed the upkeep that is necessary to prevent this accident.

Your backyard pool leaks, flooding your basement and ruining your manicured lawn.
The damages done to your basement and property are covered, but your lawn is not. Your turf can be covered under a particular named perils such as explosion, aircraft, riot, fire, vandalism and vehicles which you do not own. The coverage for plants and lawns is typically quite small, around $500. Swimming pool leaks themselves are not covered, but if the leak occurred because of a falling tree, it would be covered.

Your basement is flooded due to your washing machine overflowing.
You have coverage in this instance.  However, it will depend on upon how your insurance company views what happened. For example, did you not maintain your washer correctly, or did the flood occur from accidental, sudden damage? Water from a broken appliance is covered. This is seldom an issue for denial of a claim.

Your basement becomes flooded due to a sewer backup.
Standard home insurance policies won’t cover sewer backups, and a lot of them specifically exclude such incidents. At an added cost, special endorsements or riders are available for drains and sewers.
Your interior and foundation are damaged due to water seeping from the ground into your basement. Your insurance will not cover this type of harm, as seepage is considered a maintenance problem instead of sudden and accidental damage. You will be on your own for Lancaster water removal in this case.
Water leaks through your roof during a heavy rainstorm, damaging your roof and furniture.
You can be partially covered in this scenario. Since it is a home maintenance issue, you probably won’t be covered for roof repairs. However, the water damage to your home is covered, including damage to your furniture and interior structure.

A flash flood occurs in your living room due to a nearby river or lake overflowing its banks.
You won’t be covered, as home insurance doesn’t cover flood damage. You have to purchase separate flood insurance for this. In Texas, especially in the Dallas and Houston vicinities, flood insurance gives peace of mind to homeowners. The location of your property will indicate your "flood zone," for pricing and availability of flood insurance.

No matter how the Lancaster water damage occurred, it behooves you to get it taken care of right away to avoid further secondary water damages, lessen the opportunity for mold growth, and to lower your out-of-pocket costs. SERVPRO is a preferred vendor for many insurance and property management companies. Check with your agent and go with this premier company. Documented damage, on a room-by-room basis, will help with your insurance claim while also reducing your stress. Place your trust here and rely on 24/7 emergency service. Make sure to contact SERVPRO of Northwest Dallas right away at (214) 361-7887 if you experience any water damage.