There’s insurance for that?

Water damage and sewer backup claim

A homeowner or tenant faces water entering from backup, seepage, flood, appliance escape, or burst pipe.

What insurance might be relevant?

Water is coverage-sensitive; sewer backup, overland flood, seepage, wear-and-tear, vacancy, and maintenance issues matter.

Why a claim might be denied

• The wrong policy line is being relied on.
• The policy has an exclusion, condition, sublimit, or endorsement issue.
• The facts do not match the insuring agreement.
• Notice, documentation, mitigation, vacancy, maintenance, or intentional-act wording may matter.

Questions to ask before a loss

• Which policy line is supposed to respond to this type of loss?
• Is the coverage automatically included or only available by endorsement?
• Are there exclusions or lower sublimits?
• What documentation should be preserved?
• Who should be notified and when?