Is water damage covered?
Water can cause quite a bit of damage inside your home. Water damage can have various causes, such as heavy rainfall or a leak. Items in your home can sustain significant damage from water. Such damage can result in substantial costs. In this article, you’ll learn what types of water damage are covered by home contents insurance.
What is covered under the water damage provision of a household contents insurance policy?
Water damage is covered by home contents insurance, provided it is unforeseen damage. This means damage that could have been prevented. Damage caused by neglected maintenance is not covered. However, sudden damage, such as a leak or heavy rainfall, is covered by home contents insurance.
Insurers generally distinguish between three categories:
- Water damage caused by precipitation
- Water damage caused by indirect precipitation
- Water damage caused by tap water
Water damage caused by precipitation
Precipitation such as rain, hail, fog, sleet, freezing rain, and snow can cause damage to your household belongings. This damage can result in high costs. Situations in which water has entered your home—and which could not have been prevented—are covered. In these situations, your insurer will compensate you for the damage.
For example, if you left a window open while it was raining heavily outside, your insurer will not cover that water damage.
What is indirect precipitation?
Indirect precipitation refers to water that has entered your home due to the overflowing of ditches, canals, and levees as a result of heavy rainfall. This type of damage is not covered by standard household contents insurance, but it is covered by household contents insurance with an extended risk coverage option or an all-risk household contents insurance policy. Water damage resulting from a levee breach or flooding from rivers or the sea is always excluded from coverage.
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Water damage caused by tap water
Water damage can occur when one of the pipes in your home bursts. In many cases, this damage is covered by your home contents insurance. It’s important to keep in mind, however, that this only applies to unforeseen situations. In other words, it must involve situations where there is no history of neglected maintenance.
What is not covered by home contents insurance in the event of water damage?
As mentioned earlier, water damage caused by neglected maintenance is never covered. This is because you had the opportunity to prevent this damage. Examples include tasks such as replacing worn-out caulk edges and grout lines.
Damages that are not covered in the event of water damage include:
- It's your own fault. Ifthe damage was caused by your own fault, an insurer will never pay out.
- Overdue maintenance.For example, ifyou don't replace your caulk joints in a timely manner, water damage can occur.
- Negligence. Didyou leave your sliding door or skylight open during a heavy rainstorm? If so, water damage will not be covered.
- Floods/natural disasters. Water damage caused by floods or natural disasters is never covered by an insurer. The costs involved are simply too high, and an insurer does not have sufficient funds to cover all such claims. If you still wish to try to recover part of the damages, you can file a claim under the Damage Compensation Act (WTS).
What should I do if I have water damage?
You should always try to minimize the damage. If water has entered your home, you should try to drain it out as quickly as possible. In addition, move your valuables to safety as best you can. Be sure to take photos of the damage so your insurer can accurately assess the compensation they can offer you.
In addition, please report your claim to your insurer or to us as soon as possible by calling 085 – 029 5191.
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