Does Insurance Cover A Flooded Basement?

If you experience a basement flood in your home in Oak Park,IL you may wonder if your insurance will cover the damage.

Some situations are covered under most policies, while others are not. Read on for some of the instances your basement would be covered, and when you would be responsible for repairs.  

When Is Your Basement Covered?

There are a lot of reasons you could experience a basement flood. Fortunately, there are a few instances where your insurance company would cover the cost to hire remediation professionals. These include floods caused by:

      Broken appliances

      Leaking water heaters

      Bursting frozen pipes

      Overflowing pools or sinks

When Is Your Basement Not Covered?

Unfortunately, there are also many other reasons for a basement flood that would not be covered. For instance, standard insurance coverage does not cover water damage from storms. Basically, if it was caused by mother nature, your insurance won’t pay for the damage. In these situations, you are expected to have flood insurance. This can protect the personal belongings, such as appliances, you keep in your basement. If you have dwelling coverage on your flood policy, you may even find that damage to your structure is paid for.

storm or water damage

Another instance that wouldn’t be covered under your policy is a sewer backup. This is one of the worst things that you can experience as a homeowner. Therefore, it may be a good idea to see if your insurer offers a sewage backup option to cover some of the damage you face. However, this extension will likely not cover the full cost of a sewage backup flood. This is because they can easily cause hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage.

It’s tough to go into your basement and find it flooded. Fortunately, many instances will be covered under your homeowner’s policy. Unfortunately, flooding from things like storms and sewer backups are generally not covered.