How to know what insurance might cover

12/14/2018 (Permalink)

Scenario 1: Your basement pipes froze and burst. You don’t realize it for a couple of weeks. Now there are inches of water on your basement floor with mold starting to grow.

Scenario 2: Broken shingles on your 50-year-old roof is allowing water to leak into the attic. Water is saturating the wood and insulation which is leading to mold in the attic.

               Scenario 3: You don’t think much about the mold forming in your shower until one day you notice how unpleasant it looks and you’re concerned whether it may be causing health risks.

Do any of the above scenarios sound familiar? Or, have they happened to you? Do you think your insurance policy would cover these scenarios?

Most the time, these scenarios are not covered by the insurer. Home insurance policies usually don’t cover mold that resulted from a preventable water leak, flooding, or high humidity. Also, Insurance companies typically don’t pay for maintenance issues that insurers think a homeowner should have prevented such as properly ventilating a bathroom or maintaining lower humidity in a basement. The standard homeowner’s insurance policy does not cover water damage caused by a flood. Thus, if a flood causes water damage that leads to mold, the resulting mold issue would not be covered by your home policy.

Let’s discuss what options there are if you are unsure of your policy coverages for disaster preparedness.

How do I know what my homeowner’s insurance policy covers?

                A homeowner’s insurance ‘usually’ does not cover the following:

• Mold
• Sewer Backup
• Floods
• Sinkholes
• Earthquakes

A homeowner’s insurance ‘usually’ does cover the following:

• Fire

• Lightning

• Vandalism

• Damage Caused by vehicles

• Theft

• Falling Objects

• Weight of ice, snow, or sleet

• Frozen Pipes

These are accidental and sudden incidents. Insurance companies typically cover this type of damage. Non-weather-related water damage is one of the most common home insurance claim and one of the most expensive!

What To Do:

Check your homeowner’s insurance policy to see if there is any language or endorsements for claims concerning mold, sewer, flood, etc.  Some insurers require special add-ons to cover mold, sewer backup, floods, etc. The insurance company may also place limits on the coverage which means limiting how much the insurer will pay for a related claim. Call your insurance agent to review the coverage you have and discuss the limit/coverage you desire. The least expensive insurance policy is not always the best.  You may be giving up coverage you think you automatically have with a homeowner’s policy.

                Last but not least, if you experience a loss that you know will be covered and need to file a claim then always remember SERVPRO of North Knoxville is just one call away! Our professional technicians will get your lives back in order and your home restored the right way, "Like it never even happened."