Home Insurance Does Not Cover Flood!

Part 1 – water entering your home from outside
Many homeowners are frustrated when they submit a water related claim to their homeowner’s insurance company and the insurance company denies the claim by saying the policy does not cover flood which is true. That said, many homeowners are confused about what defines a flood.  Before turning a water claim into your homeowner’s insurance company ask yourself the following question: did the water come into my home from outside the house or from inside the house?  If you answer from outside the house, then that will most likely be considered flood and not covered.
You might be saying….wait a minute, I do not live near a lake, stream or canal so how can there be a flood in my location? A flood is the result of rising waters. So, let us say there is heavy rain for a few days and the storm drains can no longer accept the runoff.  You may even see water coming up out of the storm drains.  This results in the water rising to a point it enters your home.  That is rising water that enters your home from outside which is also called a flood. Another example might be there is a pump station that serves your neighbor hood to make sure when heavy rains come the water is pumped out before it rises. What if that pump fails?  Then the water will rise and enter your home from outside again resulting in a flood.
Approximately 1/3 of FEMA flood claims occur outside designated flood zones. So, just because you are not in a FEMA designated 100-year flood zone does not mean you will not be the victim of flood damage.  Additionally, approximately 4 out of every 10 flood policies written in the United States are in Florida.  Florida also has the lowest average flood policy premiums in the United States.
Do you have a flood policy? If not, text or call us at (954) 678-2658 or email us at service@justasktim.com. You may be surprised just how low the premium is.

Part 2 – water entering your home from inside your house
For the most part, water damaged caused by water from inside your home is covered by your homeowner’s insurance policy. For example: a busted washing machine house or leaky water valve under the sink. So long as the water entering your home for inside the house is not due to poor maintenance you should be covered by your homeowner’s insurance policy. However, there is one exception. When water enters your home from inside the house due to sewer backup then that is not covered. For example, let us say you have water coming into the home from your shower or tub drain. This would be considered sewer backup and not covered. ( makes sense since the water is originating outside of your home )
Do not worry, for a small additional premium you can add this coverage to your homeowner’s insurance policy by endorsement.  We add this to every homeowner’s insurance policy quote we provide unless the homeowner asks us to take it off.
Has sewer backup coverage been added to your homeowner’s insurance policy?  Just pull out your policy and it will be listed towards the front where all your endorsements are listed. Unsure, text or call us at (954) 678-2658 or email us at service@justasktim.com and we will help you determine if you have this coverage or not.