What Will Insurance Cover in Terms of Water Damage?
One of the most common insurance claims is water damage, especially in rainy Georgia. Some homeowners assume their insurance policies will cover any water damage, but there are several types of damage an insurance company won’t cover.
Many homeowners contend with water damage, so it’s essential to understand what your policy will cover. Below, the water damage restoration experts at Matrix Mitigation Services discuss what types of water damage insurance companies cover and what they don’t.
Three Categories of Water Damage
Professionals separate water into three categories depending on where it comes from and the associated dangers:
- Category 1 or Clean water: Clean water includes regular rainwater and tap water. While it does not pose an immediate danger in terms of health risks, Homeowners should address clean water damage within 48 hours. When left unmitigated, clean water will develop into greywater.
- Category 2 or Greywater: One can think of greywater as the tap water already used in the home. It comes from washing machines, dishwashers, and other appliances that mix water with soap, chemicals, and contaminants. Greywater is no longer sanitary and poses higher risks than clean water.
- Category 3 or Blackwater: Blackwater includes sewer water, lake or pond water, or flood water from tropical storms and hurricanes. This often contains many bacteria, microbes, and other hazardous contaminants, posing severe health risks to humans and animals.
Greywater and blackwater damage requires the help of professionals.
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Water Damage Covered by Insurance
If the water damage is unavoidable or accidental, the homeowner’s insurance will cover it. These types of water damage include:
- Accidental leak or overflow of a sink, tub, washing machine, dishwasher, or other appliance
- Roof leaks from storms, tree branches, and other uncontrollable factors
- Unforeseeable damage due to ice dams
- Burst pipes due to frozen plumbing
- Mold growth due to one of the above
If one of the above examples of water damage occurs due to homeowner negligence, insurance may not cover it.
Water Damage Not Covered by Insurance
Insurance companies will not cover water damage restoration costs for water damage caused by homeowner negligence. In other words, if water damage occurs because the homeowner neglected a problem or failed to perform regular maintenance, insurance won’t typically pay for it.
Examples of water damage insurance companies may not cover:
- Flood damage (requires the addition of flood insurance)
- Damage from a leak left unaddressed
- Damage from a sewer drain backup
- Damage due to intentional behavior
- Damage due to lack of maintenance
- Swimming pool leaks
- Faulty sump pump
- Foundation leaks
- Ground movement
Insurance companies will not always cover the cost of repairing the cause of the water damage. For example, if a window leak leads to internal water damage, they may pay for the interior water damage restoration but not to fix the window.
Additional insurance policies may cover some of these items, such as flood and water backup damage.
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Water Damage Restoration From Matrix Mitigation Services
Trust the water damage restoration experts at Matrix Mitigation Services if you have water damage in your home. They provide 24/7 water removal, restoration, and repair services to Braselton, GA, and surrounding areas.
The Matrix team understands the stress of water damage and will work diligently to get your home back to normal as soon as possible. They’ll also help you deal with your insurance company to ensure your best interests are considered at every step. Call now at 855-541-1010 for a free estimate.
