My cousin is really upset because a rental property of hers has water damage because a pipe came

[Maraya1969]

apart. The woman living there was not at home so the water ran and ran until it went down in the basement and somehow out a door and the police notified her.

She said her insurance does not cover floods but I was thinking that was more for natural floods. Then when I asked a question in Google I got some lawyers who wanted to "Offer help" to get the insurance company to pay.

Does anyone know something about this? I would really help any information you got because I feel bad for her. She had made some dumb investment decisions in her life and one of them was buying 5 condos right when the housing markets started to fall after Bush. She hasn't made anything close to a profit yet. She makes a really good salary but is in debt!

[dlk]

1. Your cousin should contact her insurance compsny

This loss is not considered a flood.

[fleur-de-lisa]

2. Homeowner's insurance should cover it.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

3. She should read her policy carefully and check with her insurance agent

to find out whether "flood" means natural flooding or burst pipes. I'm pretty sure damage resulting from a pipe that burst suddenly would be covered even though a slow leak resulting from neglected maintenance wouldn't be. The policy itself probably defines what is and isn't covered.

[Ilsa]

4. Yep. She should call her insurance & act like she knows it's covered.

I'm pretty sure it is. I have had shower pans replaced, covered by insurance.

[Wellstone ruled]

5. Please call your Insurance hot line asap.

Had a Water Heater Volcano while we were out of town for a week. Lucky our Lawn Guy saw water running down the driveway and shut the main off..

55k damage. Insurance paid all by a grand. Make damn sure you have a good Adjuster. Certain Home owners Insurance Companies are total cheats.

[MaryMagdaline]

6. I'm an insurance lawyer in Florida

I don’t know a single policy in Florida that would not cover. I have handled thousands of cases where pipes breaking are covered.

I don’t know your state or your policy. Florida is heavily regulated and certain exclusions by bad insurance companies are not permitted.

Speak with a lawyer ASAP but more importantly get the claim in NOW with your insurance company and keep email or fax copy as proof. Also public adjusters can be crooks but they know coverages better than most lawyers. If your insurance company gives you ANY delay get a public adjuster who might be able to refer you to a good “coverage” or “first party lawyer.”

I’ve represented some crappy carriers who have all covered this in Florida.

Btw it’s things like this that make me thank God for the liberal politicians who created liberal insurance law in Florida decades ago.

[iscooterliberally]

7. She should call a public adjuster.

Don't deal with the insurance company directly. They'll send an adjuster, but that adjuster works for the insurance company and will try to low ball the claim. A public adjuster will work for the property owner. In Florida the public adjuster gets paid when the insurance company pays the claim. The most they can take is 10%. Back when I was a homeowner I had hurricane damage so I hired a public adjuster. They more than tripled my claim amount so I was more than glad to pay them their 10% fee. Things might be different in your cousin's state, but I would check into it.

[DonaldsRump]

8. Check the policy, but it should be covered

We had a situation where the washing machine leaked over several days when no one was home and caused major damage to the flooring. We had to call in the restoration company which brought giant fans, pulled all the carpeting and flooring, and baseboards. Luckily, the damage did not go higher than that, but it was still bad.

Homeowners' insurance covered it. This is not a "flood".

[Alliepoo]

9. My friends waterline in her dishwasher broke

And ran all day while she was at work. She had a great big mess-had to replace all of the flooring on her main level. Her homeowners insurance took care of it. Tell your cousin to call her insurance agent.

[LiberalBrooke]

10. It is not a flood it is water damage from a burst pipe. It has happened to me and was covered

by insurance. What a mess though. Tell her to call her insurance company and open a claim. She does want to get a mitigation company in right away to get water and anything wet out of there to prevent mold.

[cayugafalls]

11. +1000 Mold remediation is important to do now. Before the claim is processed.

Ripping out the wet and damage items and getting fans started immediately will have to be out of pocket anyways as it takes awhile for the claim to process, but you need to do it ASAP as mold kicks in real fast in these situations.

Make sure to get someone who knows what to do and they will take care of it.

[stopbush]

12. If your insurance doesn't cover leaking/burst pipes, you've got useless insurance

Because pipes are going to leak. They just are. As surely as the sun rises.

[lettucebe]

13. I accidentally left sprinkler on and went to beach for five days

Ended up with about 10 inches of water in the basement. Insurance does not cover it.