Water Damage in Round Rock TX: Am I covered?

Water Damage: Will I be covered?

When it comes down to any type of insurance coverage, it is important to know what your policy does and does not cover, especially when it concerns Round Rock water damage. Too many people make the mistake of waiting until everything is all wet before looking into what is covered, and all too often they are in for a rude awakening. Some instances of water damage do fall under your homeowners warranty, others do not, and what is and isn't covered doesn't always seem to make sense.

Round Rock Flooding - this is not usually covered under homeowners policies, however, there are provisions for obtaining flood coverage for an additional premium. The Federal government also provides coverage through the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), however you will need to do some checking and make sure your community is a participating member of the program.

Burst Pipes - again, not covered. The reasoning on the part of the insurance provider is that this was a maintenance issue. Had the pipe been properly maintained, it would not have broken. This sets an important standard in place….if any case of water damage can be traced back to negligence on the part of the homeowner; in all likelihood it will not be covered.

Leaking Roof - Yes….and no. If the damage was caused by a roof that failed due to neglect on the part of the homeowner, then it will not be covered. If the roof was damaged as the result of a storm and no neglect was evident, then insurance will usually pay not only for the roof but also for the items that may have been damaged as a result.

Gradual Water Damage - many times, water damage is not readily apparent until the damage has been done, the result of small leaks that went unnoticed until they grew to substantial size. Again, the insurance provider will view this as a case of neglectful maintenance on the part of the homeowner and the resulting damage will not be covered.

In addition, cases that are covered may render themselves "uncovered" if not reported soon enough. Some insurance providers have strict policies in place that guarantee water damage coverage only if the damage is reported within a certain time frame. That time frame is all too often quite tight, sometimes as little as 48 hours. It becomes imperative to contact your insurance provider as soon as the damage is discovered.

With that in mind you should also be very careful when calling in a water damage claim. Insurance companies are notorious for dropping customers who file non-water damage claims. In California, 25% of claimants had their policies dropped. Yet, this number increased to 32% when it came to those filing more than one water damage loss claim.

Your best move is to sit down with your insurance provider and ask questions, a lot of them, in order to more fully understand exactly what is and is not covered under your policy as it pertains to water damage. Learn when to make the call and when not to. If you need additional coverage and it is available, purchase it. Knowing where you stand now will leave you much less flustered when a problem does occur.