What Does Insurance Cover When You Have a Frozen Pipe?

2/14/2020 (Permalink)

If you have a broken pipe, you should call repair specialists immediately

If you see unexplained water spots on your ceiling, or if your wall is bulging outward, you probably have water damage. Before you file an insurance claim, there are a few things you're going to need to know about the source of the water. Getting these answers can give you realistic expectations about whether or not your provider is likely to cover repairs.

What Is Covered

When they burst, frozen pipes cause a sudden and accidental burst of water to spew forth behind the walls of your home in Rusellville, KY. Because you could not have foreseen the problem and thus could not have prevented the damage, your homeowner's policy probably covers certain aspects of the recovery:

• Water damage tear-out
  
• Structure restoration
  
• Secondary damage from original, covered incident
  
  

To ensure that as much of the water damage repair is covered as possible, call water restoration specialists the moment you realize you have a problem. Your swift action not only minimizes the total damage the broken pipe causes but also increases the likelihood that your insurance claim will be accepted.

What Is Not Covered

A broken pipe is still going to leave you with some out-of-pocket expenses. You are responsible for paying to get the pipe itself repaired. This service falls under routine maintenance, an expense your insurance policy doesn't cover. Your claim may be denied if you wait too long to get the problem fixed or if you are somehow negligent in doing so. Water damage doesn't go away on its own; it only gets worse the longer it's allowed to sit. If you take two weeks to call technicians for repairs, you may be footing the whole bill yourself.
If you have a broken pipe, you should call repair specialists immediately. They can get the problem fixed and give you the information you need to file a successful insurance claim.