Roberts-McClure Insurance - Home Insurance

Don't Look To Insurance To Cover All Water Damage

I left my bedroom window open the other day when I went to work. Bad timing! A big rainstorm came up and water poured through the window, causing extensive damage to my wall-to-wall broadloom, as well as my expensive oak bedroom suite. Now the insurance company is saying that it won't pay to fix it. But isn't my policy supposed to cover water damage?

I'm afraid your insurer can't throw you a lifeline on this claim. Most insurance policies do not cover loss or damage caused by water UNLESS it originates from one of four sources:

Sudden and accidental escape of water from a water main;
Sudden and accidental escape of water from within a plumbing, heating, sprinkler, or air conditioning system or domestic appliance (defined as "a device or apparatus for personal use on the premises for containing, heating, chilling, or dispensing water");
Sudden and accidental escape of water from a domestic appliance located outside your dwelling (but such damage is not covered when the escape of water is caused by freezing);
Water which enters through an opening which has been created suddenly by a named (or specified) peril (cause of damage) other than water damage.

Unfortunately for you, your damage was not caused by any of those, so your insurer can't bail you out. It would be a different story if a windstorm, for example, had broken your window and water had entered through that opening. In that case, any damage caused by the water would be covered.

As you can see, water damage is a very complicated issue insurance-wise, and coverage may vary from one policy to the next. Check with your insurance provider to see which perils are covered and - just as important - which ones are not, so you don't end up in hot water at claims time.

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Don't Look To Insurance To Cover All Water Damage