Flooded Basement after Heavy Rain

4/26/2017 (Permalink)

The spring and summer rainy season is upon us and you may find yourself with water in your basement. 

The first question many homeowners ask is “Will my homeowner’s insurance cover the cost of this mess being cleaned up and dried out by SERVPRO?”  Only your insurance agent and/or adjustor can say for certain whether a claim will be covered.  But here are some guidelines to consider in such situations.

The source of the water is a major factor.  The most common sources of water in your basement following heavy rains include the following: 

1. Water leaks in from the outside through a basement window or other opening
2. Water overflows from your sump pump crock as the result of a failed sump pump
3. Water seeps up from cracks in your concrete floor or foundation as the result of a failed sump pump
4. Your sewer system backs up into your basement

Water coming in from the outside through a basement window or other opening due to excessive rain or rising bodies of lakes, rivers, streams, etc, typically falls under the category of a flood, and most homeowner’s insurance policies do not cover floods.  According to a 2016 poll conducted by the Insurance Information Institute, only 12 percent of homeowner’s have flood insurance.  To get flood coverage, you may be able to buy a separate flood policy through the federal government’s National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP).  Your local insurance agent can help you determine if such a policy makes sense for you, and can help you purchase this type of policy. 

But what if the water came from your sewer system or a failed sump pump?  In most cases, a standard homeowner’s insurance policy does not provide coverage for water damage caused by sump pump failure.  However, this type of coverage can be very affordable and can easily be added on to your standard homeowner’s policy in the form of what’s called an endorsement.  When this type of endorsement is active, it provides for coverage of property damage caused by water that has managed to back up and into your home from pipes, sewer systems, drains, sump pumps, water-service, or any additional system that transfers fluids to and from your home.    

The spring rainy season is a perfect time to check with your insurance agent to ensure that you have this very important coverage.  So that if disaster strikes, SERVPRO of Appleton can make it "Like it never even happened."