Most of the homeowners probably have the home insurance but hardly anyone reads the policy coverage detail until the problem occurs. Home insurance will cover only the water damage type which is sudden and accidental damage. It will not cover the damage from homeowner negligence.
Sometimes it's a fine line to determine whether the damage is the homeowner's fault or it's beyond homeowner maintenance control.
Homeowners insurance generally does not cover maintenance issues or wear and tear.
For example, there was a pin hole leak on a pipe behind the wall and one day the ceiling had fallen down. Is this a homeowner's fault? Did homeowner know or see any sign of water leak before the incident occur?
What the story should homeowner tell the insurance company?
When the water damage happened, most of the homeowner probably was panic and thought that they should call the plumber and then try to contact the insurance company right away. That might not the best procedure.
Of course! you need to shut off the main water valve first to stop the water before start calling around for help.
Should you call a plumber first?
When you have a water damage, most of the time, a plumber won't be able to fix your problem right way because the wall or the floor needs to be fixed and dried before plumbing work can be done. The plumber probably has to refer you to a water damage specialist anyway.
Most of the homeowners may not know that the best people you should call first, should be a water damage specialist. Most of them are offering the FREE HOME WATER DAMAGE EVALUATION and you should take advantage of that. They also can recommend a good plumber for you as well.
Who is a water damage specialist? They are trained professionals in water damage inspection. They have special tools that they are able to measure the humidity behind the wall or the floor so they can tell how far or how deep of the damage area. Not only they have the tools, they also can give you free advice of how you should claim the insurance.
When you submit the claim to the insurance company, they will usually appoint an adjuster to review your claim. They usually send a representative to inspect the damage area. Having a water damage specialist as your advisor, they can represent you and help you get the best benefit from the insurance company.
The best of all, they usually do not ask for any up front payment but they will help you cut out the wall or remove the floor and take away the debris and dry your place with the powerful commercial fans and use the dehumidifiers to extract all humidity off the damage area within 3 - 7 days. Comparing if you try to claim the insurance yourself , you may have to wait 4 - 8 weeks before the insurance agrees to pay for your claim.
You won't be alone when fighting a denied claim with the insurance company.
Remember as a homeowner you also have choices to pick and choose your best service provider, do not let any provider pressure you that you have no other options. Take your time and be smart.
Urgently find a water damage specialist nearby you in real-time, you can submit a service request on U-PLUMBER.com website or download the U-Plumber app and make sure to select "Yes" for water damage.