Does Your Homeowners' Insurance Cover Broken Pipes?

12/28/2020 (Permalink)

Homeowners' insurance covers all sorts of water losses in your home

What Does It Cover?

A broken pipe can cause a massive flood in your home. Thankfully, your insurance coverage should help you pay for water cleanup and restoration services. However, there are some exceptions.
Homeowners' insurance covers all sorts of water losses in your home. For instance, your insurance should kick in if your house sustains water damage due to:

• An air conditioner leak
• A broken washing machine
• A burst pipe

What Insurance Coverage Includes
You can use this insurance money to pay for the removal of water from your home. The insurer should also cover damage to your rugs, floors, and walls. Any steps the restoration company takes to prevent mold growth may be included in your policy, as well. However, the insurer will not pay to fix a broken pipe. You will have to pay for the pipe repairs yourself.

Why Claims Are Denied
Insurance companies do not automatically accept every claim that stems from a broken pipe. Insurers will check to see if the pipe showed any signs of damage prior to the flood. If the company concludes that the pipe leaked for a long period of time and that you failed to address the leak, then the insurer may deny your claim.
You should thus have your pipes checked regularly. Be sure to keep records to prove that these inspections occurred.
Similarly, insurance companies expect you to prevent your pipes from freezing. You can do this by keeping your home warm even at nighttime. If you negligently allow your pipes to get so cold that they burst, the insurer may force you to pay for the resulting damage.
Your insurance provider should cover cleanup costs following a broken pipe in your San Diego, CA, house. Yet the insurer may force you to pay for the restoration if the company determines that your negligence led to the flood. By properly maintaining your pipes, especially during the winter, you increase the chances of the insurer accepting your claim.