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What Homeowners Insurance Won’t Cover

By Jessica Schildgen

Many homeowners feel a sense of comfort and security when they have homeowner’s insurance. While no one wants a disaster or another unfortunate event to occur to their property, they at least feel better knowing they have insurance to help them out in such a situation. However, not all homeowners understand their policy and know what coverage it provides. This can make property damage especially troublesome, because you may not have the means to resolve the issue without insurance.Homeowners-Insurance-Policy-Document

That said, it’s imperative that homeowners know what is and is not included within standard homeowners’ insurance so you and your home can be properly protected in case of any disasters or emergencies. That way you can get any additional coverage that is necessary for you and your home.

Continue reading to learn what your homeowner’s insurance will not cover.

1. Burst Water Pipes

Typically, homeowner’s insurance covers water damage that occurs as a result of burst pipes, but it doesn’t always cover pipe repair or replacement costs. If a water pipe bursts as a result of negligence, though, homeowner’s insurance will not cover this damage. This is because you could have prevented the pipe burst from happening in the first place.

For example, during the winter, water pipes are prone to bursting because of the severely cold temperatures. If ice forms within pipes, it places pressure on the pipes and can cause them to burst. While you cannot stop the cold temperatures from coming, you can prevent ice from forming in pipes and making them burst open by insulating them.

2. Flooding

Although flooding can be a natural occurrence, standard homeowners’ insurance only covers flooding if you live in an area where such coverage is required, such as in high-risk flood areas. Otherwise, your home is not protected by flooding. So if your residential property suffers flood damage, then you will need to cover the costs yourself unless you have additional coverage. Knowing this, you should purchase additional insurance coverage to cover flooding, especially if you reside in an area that is prone to flooding.

3. Mold

Homeowners insurance coverage for mold can be tricky. Some policies cover it but only to an extent, such as if a sudden plumbing leak results in mold growth. Or a policy may take care of the mold removal but won’t cover the costs to repair or replace the damaged building materials the mold has affected. Meanwhile, other policies completely exclude coverage for mold, leaving you left to cover the costs yourself.

Mold growth often occurs as a result of water damage, so whether mold is covered — if at all — can depend on how the water damage occurred. If a pipe burst due to negligence and also caused mold to grow, then your homeowner’s insurance won’t cover the damage. The same goes for mold growth that developed from a flood.

4. Sewage BackupsBasement-Flood-Sewage-Backup

Whether it happens because of growing tree roots or a sewage blockage, if a sewage backup occurs in your home, then there’s a lot of work that needs to be done. The water needs to be cleaned up and extracted, your property needs to be cleaned and disinfected, and certain belongings and building materials may need to be restored. Unfortunately, such costs can be expensive but would not be covered by a standard homeowner’s insurance policy. Rather, homeowners need to purchase additional coverage or another policy that will cover sewage backups.

5. Earthquakes

If you live in an area that is prone to earthquakes, such as California, Nevada, or Washington, then you should take the time to purchase additional insurance coverage, because earthquakes are not included in typical homeowner’s insurance coverage. Considering the amount of damage that earthquakes can cause your home, it’s best to get the coverage to provide some security in case such an event ever does occur.

6. Sinkholes and Other Ground Movement

Much like earthquakes, sinkholes are not included in standard home insurance policies. In fact, any ground movement like sinkholes and landslides are not covered. So, if you do live in an area where such earth movement is a common occurrence, you will want to purchase separate policies so that these events are covered.

Getting Proper Insurance Coveragefire-damaged-house

Take the time to look at your homeowner’s insurance policy and review what is included in the coverage. If you see that you need to get additional coverage for things like flooding and mold, then get in touch with your insurance company and inquire about the separate policies you can purchase. That way, you won’t need to worry as much about any costs that need to be covered if your home suffers damage from an unforeseen event or disaster.

Additional coverage can be helpful if your residential property suffers water damage. You’ll need to get in touch with a professional water damage restoration service immediately to take care of the repairs, and these professionals will even help out with the claims process to make it easier on you.