Is My Claim Flood or Sewer Backup Damage?

If your home is your castle, the last thing you want to do is to come home to water in your basement, discover that your drain has backed up, or sump pump has failed. This can create major and costly damage, but these damages can be covered. First, you must distinguish if it is flood damage or sewer backup damage.

Flood Damage

A standard Homeowners policy does not cover damages from flooding. A separate Flood policy is needed to cover losses to your property caused by flooding, which provides coverage for:

• Structural damage
• Furnace, water heater and air conditioner
• Flood debris clean up
• Floor surfaces (carpeting and tile)

In general, a flood policy does not take effect until 30 days AFTER you purchase flood insurance. So, if the weather forecast announces a flood alert for your area and you want to purchase coverage, it’s already too late. You will not be insured if you buy a policy a few days before a flood. However, if your lender requires flood insurance in connection with the making, increasing, extending or renewing of your loan, there is no waiting period.

For your losses to be covered under a flood insurance policy, the following definition of a flood applies:
A general and temporary condition of partial or complete inundation of 2 or more acres of normally dry land area or of 2 or more properties (at least one of which is your property) from: overflow of inland or tidal waters; and unusual and rapid accumulation.

If you are unsure if the damage in your home is flood, or if you have a flood policy, do not hesitate to contact your agent at PDCM Insurance.

Sewer Backup

For an additional premium to your Homeowners policy, an endorsement for water backup and sump discharge will cover losses caused by:

• The backup of water or waterborne materials through a sewer or through a drain
• Water or waterborne material that overflows from a sump, even if the backup of water is due to the mechanical breakdown of the sump pump. Coverage includes damage to covered property, but excludes the sump pump and any related equipment that has broken down.

This endorsement does not cover losses that involve owner negligence, such as from damage as the result of forgetting to turn on your sump pump, or damages caused by flood. A separate flood insurance policy is required to cover any losses due to flooding.

Often times, water entering the basement is not due to a sewer backup but rather from poor soil grading around your home’s exterior. If you have a water problem and have ruled out sewer backup, making sure that water is draining away from your home’s foundation properly can often fix the problem.

If you are unsure if the water damage is caused by sewer backup or flooding, or unsure if you have the correct coverage for this damage, call your agent at PDCM Insurance as soon as you can.

Our mission is simple: to protect our customers’ assets. We strive to provide excellent insurance solutions while exceeding our customers’ expectations. We will try our best to get your claim processed as soon as possible so you can get your life back to normal.