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Water Damage Claim

water damage claim

Did you have a water leak which caused water damage?

Do you have a Water Leak Causing Water Damage? Aviva Insurance Adjusters, Inc,. handles water damage claims almost every day. In fact, it is the most common homeowners claim (non-weather related) submitted to an insurance company involves some sort of water damage inside the home or business.

These water damage claims easily account for 90 to 95% of the claims that occur. This is why some insurance companies try to limit the coverage for water damage. Please review your policy to make sure your policy does not have a $10,000 cap on water damage.

Why Are Water Damage Claims so Common?

This is because there are many sources of water in your home or property which have the potential to eventually fail, causing water leaks and damage to your home. We have handled water damage claims which were caused by broken dishwasher water feed lines, refrigerator ice maker lines, shower pans, toilets, under sinks, underground pipes, air conditioner condensations pipes, and roof leaks. Ultimately, any one of these water leaks is sure to cause a huge mess in your home.

Collateral Water Damage–what is it?

Contact or Call Aviva Today @ 877-351-1933 for a

What many homeowners are unaware of is the extent to which a small amount of water can damage surrounding structures. In fact, many times surrounding structures are not actually damaged, but in order to properly repair the damage, surrounding structures must be taken out of the way, which makes them part of the claim.

Furthermore, sometimes restoration or EMS companies will create damage when they are doing a dryout or mold remediation, which was unrelated to the original water damage. These “collateral” damages are covered by your insurance company and your insurance company is required to pay. Not surprising, insurance companies oftentimes overlook this detail.

Three Examples of Collateral Damage.

Example 1: Damaged drywall behind a kitchen cabinet. How does a homeowner replace the damaged drywall without completely removing the cabinets? This is what I call collateral damage.

Example 2: If you remove a kitchen countertop, it is necessary to remove the backsplash as well.

Example 3: If there is water on the floor and the baseboard gets soaked the water mitigation company must remove the board to make sure no moisture is left between the wall and the baseboard which, if not mitigated could result in the mold growing behind the baseboard.

What we mean by this, is that there is almost always more expenses and work than what meets the eye, and it helps to be an experienced insurance adjuster in order to evaluate and assess the total extent of your damage. A homeowner does not want to miss anything and he doesn’t want to be shortchanged.

All things considered, please don’t believe that the best route to take is to trust that the insurance company’s adjuster will thoroughly evaluate your claim and make sure every little item is included and presented to the insurance company. Remember, insurance company adjusters work for insurance companies. They don’t work for you. They have an obligation to their employer. Therefore, you need a professional public or “private” adjuster who will work on your behalf, not the insurance company’s behalf, and not miss these damages.

Do you have a Water Leak Causing Water Damage in your home? If so, please call our office for a FREE consultation and inspection. You need an adjuster who is on YOUR side and will put YOUR best interest ahead of the insurance company’s best interest. Make sense?

Call our office. We are ready to discuss your claim now. 877-351-1933

💧How to Identify a Leak Under the Floor?💧

This post will help you narrow down if you have a leak in your home or business.
  • First signs that you have a leak is usually a sudden jump in your water bill 💰, not to rule out a gradual increase, regardless it will be noticeable.
  • If the hot water line is leaking you will feel the floor in that area increasingly hot 🔥
  • If you have wood floors, check for signs of warping or discoloration. Look at your base boards, they will start to expand if they are wet.

Those are the obvious signs, but what about the not so obvious signs.

 

Here is a defenitive Test to Check For a Leak…….

 

The Water Meter Leak Test

  • Before you start, check to make sure that all your faucets are closed and your toilets are done filling and being used at the moment.
  • Next locate your water meter and check the indicator to see if it is moving. (It should not be moving). Depending on the brand of your meter, the indicator could be a small triangular shaped dial 🔺or a small silver wheel that rotates when water is flowing through the meter. If the dial is moving, chances are, you have a leak.
  • To narrow down the leak even further, if you close the main leading into your home (usually located on the side of your house) and the meter is still moving, this indicates that the leak is between your house and the meter, if it does not move this indicates that the leak is inside your home.

If you got this far good job!💯💯 I hope this post helped you. 

  • If you do have a leak, not to worry, most homeowners insurances should cover this. Please give me a call for more info about what to do next.

Frequently Asked Questions About Water Damage Claims

It all depends on the coverage that is in your insurance policy. For the most part the majority of insurances cover water related damages or peril as the insurance calls it. Since this is the most common of all claims, some insurance companies put a cap also known as a limit on coverage. Typically the average cap is $10,000. 

In all claim including a water damage claim it is good to take lots of pictures of when you discover the damage. Also, after you have cleaned up any standing water, it is also highly recommend that you find a water remediation company that will dry the damages up thoroughly. They have equipment that it specialized to extract water. They also serve to give your claim more merit.

No, not in most cases, if you spill a glass of water on the floor, it is dried up and that’s the end of it, but if a pipe burst under the floor and 20,000 gallons of water is coming out, that is way beyond accidental. 

You can call the phone number that appears on your policy to report a new claim or you can call a public adjuster that will do this for you.

It depends on the coverage that you selected, most Homeowner polices do not include Flood. Flood insurance is usually offered seperately.

Most Homeowner policies cover water damage. Some do contain exclusions, so make sure you read your policy carefully. 

Well first stop the flow of water so it cannot cause additional damage, then either call your insurance or a public adjuster that can help you through the entire process.