Whether or not your insurance company will reimburse you for damages caused by broken plumbing and burst pipes inside and outside your home largely depends on the causes of the damages. Most insurance companies view plumbing as a maintenance item, and this includes:
- Water Heaters
- Faucets and Fixtures
- Toilets
- Fresh Water Supply Lines
- Sewage and Drain Lines
This means it is your responsibility to ensure your home’s plumbing is kept in proper working order. If something does go wrong, and your homeowners insurance company can determine it was due to a lack of proper maintenance, they will be quick to deny your claim and provide no insurance claim help.
For instance, you notice there is a slow leak in the cold water line connected on the back of your bathtub. You ignore it because the leak is not that bad. Then, one day, you head off to the grocery store. After returning home, there is water dripping from the ceiling in your kitchen and you hear water running in the upstairs bathroom room.
You quickly discover the cold water line burst while you were gone and water has been constantly coming out the broken pipe. Since you knew there was a leak and took no action to fix it, your insurance company could deny your claim, and you would be left with the costs of cleaning up the water damages.
What Damages Would Be Covered from Burst Pipes?
Using our example above, let’s assume the cold water line was not leaking but merely burst while you were out shopping. In this case, if you had an “all perils” policy, it would cover the resulting water damages but not necessarily the costs to fix the burst water line.
You could file a claim to have all drywall, flooring, paint, appliances, and other such things damaged by the burst pipe repaired or replaced under your “all perils” policy. The only exception would be the costs to replace the burst water line. You would have to pay your plumber yourself to fix the water line.
What Is an “All Perils” Homeowners Insurance Policy?
In recent years, homeowners insurance companies have started issuing limited coverage policies that have numerous exclusions. The purpose of these limited policies is to help reduce the costs of insurance coverage while, at the same time, to limit what claims the insurance companies have to pay out. The drawback to limited coverage policies is they do not cover every part of the home or peril and situation that could arise.
An “all perils” policy is one that includes coverages for roof damages, fire, water damages, fallen trees, theft, vandalism, arson, burglary, and other such losses. “All perils” policies do not cover damages caused by hurricanes or flooding and may not include losses from mold.
If you want to ensure your home is protected from water damages that could occur from burst plumbing lines, then you will want to review your homeowners insurance policy and verify it provides protections for all perils.
If you require assistance in reviewing your policy or need insurance claim help, please feel free to contact Silver, Bass & Brams at 1-888-897-1786 to speak with one of our claim lawyers today!
