Keeping your home in great shape can sometimes require an investment of both time and money. Home insurance policies are put in place to help you cover some of these expenses when they pop up. In order to make the most of your homeowner’s insurance, you will need to be well educated on everything your policy will cover. This way, you will know when you need to file a claim and get the assistance you need.
Plumbing can be a huge expense for homeowners. You will definitely want to understand if your home insurance policy covers plumbing expenses. Most homeowner policies will cover any sudden types of water damage that is caused by plumbing malfunctions. However, there are some types of water damage that would not be covered.
Let’s look at what you need to know concerning this important area of home maintenance.
Plumbing Malfunction
Your home’s plumbing system is made up of many different parts. Pipes, hot water heater, faucets, toilets, tubs, showers, water intake, main lines, and even your septic system all work together to create your plumbing system.
There are many different types of problems that can occur within any one aspect of this system. When you experience a sudden, unexpected malfunction of your plumbing system, it can cause damage to your home. In most cases, damage such as this is covered under your homeowner’s policy. This can include some of the following types of damage:
- Water damage due to hot water heater malfunction
- Water damage due to busted pipes
- Other examples specified in your policy.
It is important to note, that in most cases, a homeowner’s policy will cover the expenses of repairing the damage caused by a plumbing malfunction. It may not pay for the damaged parts of the plumbing system. You will need to sit down with an insurance representative to discuss the details of your policy.
Plumbing Issues
Plumbing issues are different from plumbing malfunction. Many homeowner policies will not pay for plumbing services for the correction of plumbing issues. Plumbing issues can include:
- Backed up pipes
- Roots in pipes
- Septic system pumping
- Septic system replacement
- Field line replacement
- Damaged faucets
- Damaged toilets
- Damaged showers or tubs
These are plumbing issues that you as the homeowner will need to pay for. This is very different from sudden, unexpected water damage resulting from a major plumbing malfunction.
What About Floods?
There is a great misconception concerning flood insurance and insurance coverage for flooding within your home. You need to understand that a flood that results from a natural disaster is almost never covered under a standard homeowner’s policy. You will need to have a flood insurance policy added to your homeowner’s policy if you want flood coverage of this kind.
Flooding that is caused in your home due to a plumbing malfunction is often covered, however, under your homeowner’s policy.
What Does an Insurance Policy pay for?
Each homeowner’s policy will carry with it different benefits that can be paid out in different amounts. You will want to sit down with your insurance representative to discuss all of the details of your particular policy.
Most homeowners’ policies will pay for the repair or replacement of damaged flooring, pipes, or appliances that are a result of a sudden unexpected plumbing problem. In some cases, a policy may even pay for living expenses if the home is unlivable.
What About Leaky Pipes?
You should know, that in most cases, an insurance company will not pay for water damage to your home that happened slowly over a long period of time. This is considered a maintenance issue. If the insurance adjuster determines that damage was a result of a lack of maintenance, you will be held responsible for those expenses.
Keeping up with plumbing maintenance is a very important part of your homeownership responsibilities. Remember, any amount of water, no matter how small, will cause damage if ignored.
Winterization
Another thing that homeowners should consider is that insurance companies consider it the responsibility of the homeowner to winterize pipes and plumbing. This means that you are responsible for protecting your pipes and other aspects of your plumbing to avoid busted pipes during freezing weather. If your pipes bust as a result of a lack of winterization, the insurance company will likely not pay for these types of claims.
