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You were at the store grabbing some groceries for dinner tonight and you walk in the house to find water gushing from a pipe. The kitchen is flooded which shouldn’t be too hard to clean up, but it’s quickly spreading to the living room carpet and threatening to go down the stairs. Now what?

Water Damage is one of the most prevalent home insurance claims that exist. Whether it is leaking pipes, backed-up plumbing, roof leaks, dishwasher leaks, or even a broken refrigerator line. It doesn’t matter if the damage is a lot or a little the time to take action and get a public adjuster involved is now.

Hi, we are Florida Public Adjusting. The trusted adviser in Florida to help homeowners get every penny they deserve to get their homes back to normal. With over 20 years of experience and working with experts in the insurance world, construction, engineering, and damage consulting. Our mission is to be able to reach educate and represent as many homeowners, commercial, HOA’s, and business owners who need help now. Today we are going to answer your questions about water damage claims in your home.

What kind of water damage is actually covered by my insurance

As a general rule of thumb, your insurance company will cover the access point as well as the ensuing damage from a pipe. The pipe itself is actually not covered and is never covered by your insurance company. Make sure once you find any water damage in your home you contact a public adjuster so they are able to document damage and determine what is or isn’t covered by your insurance company. You may be asking is there ever a time when a pipe would be covered by my insurance and the answer to that is yes if the damage is caused by something other than wear and tear.

Is it necessary to hire a public adjuster before filing a claim?

Once you file a claim with your insurance company they will schedule their own adjuster to come out within 24 to 48 hours of you filing the claim. Our recommendation is once your claim is filed hire your public adjuster so that they can be there when the insurance adjuster actually comes.
When the insurance adjuster does arrive and begins to ask questions answer their questions, but don’t say more. We encourage you to not hypothesize about what happened or say more than they ask. We as public adjusters are interested in getting you the most money for your claim and we are experts in analyzing insurance policies. We can tell you after looking at your policy if there are limits on how much an insurance company will pay for your claim, as well as any other language that may limit how much you get back. These intricate details are why we offer our services to everyone.

What should you do when you first notice water damage on your property?

Most homeowners are not experts in plumbing, water damage, or remediation specialist. With that being said as soon as you see water damage we have a few recommendations on what to do:

• If it’s a pipe leak or large leak turn off the main water line
• If it’s just a specific drain try to stop using that appliance or area as soon as possible.
• Document, document, document. Take pictures, videos, and document as much as possible.
• Call somebody that is an expert and can help you (we can help with this as well)

If you have any questions at all through the entire process from damage occurring, to the actual claim, and all the way to the resolution please let us know because we are here to help.

Water Damage vs Flood Damage

As soon as homeowners see any standing water in their home many assume it’s just flood damage. There is however a distinction between flood damage and general water damage. They are 2 separate damages and actually 2 separate insurance coverages. Surprisingly most insurance companies don’t offer a flood damag part to your homeowner’s policy, it is actually a whole separate policy.

The general distinction between flood and water damage is flood damage comes from outside the house and the water comes into the house. Water damage typically originates from inside the house like a pipe or something similar to that. So if it starts outside and comes in that’s a flood and if it starts inside and stays inside its water damage. Make sure to contact your insurance agent to find out if you’re in a flood zone and what they offer for flood insurance.

What is the best insurance?

We don’t recommend a specific agent or insurance company, but rather talk with your insurance agent whomever it is and have them show you the different coverages and options that are available to you. Once you have an idea of what they are, you can come to us and we will advise you on what coverage is best for your specific situation. The worst time to find out there are problems with your insurance coverage is NOT when you need to make a claim.

Conclusion

Water damage is never something you want to have to deal with and it can be stressful when it happens and then even more stressful when you go to your insurance company for help and they can’t because you’re not covered. At Florida Public Adjusting we specialize in helping homeowners get the money they deserve to restore their homes back to normal. It starts with just a call and we can be there as quick as 1 hour after you notice the damage. Remember as soon as you see damage start to record all of the damage so you have documentation, then call your public adjuster and let us help you!