Is Black Water Damage Covered by Insurance in Summit County?

When your hot water heater springs a leak or a pipe suddenly bursts in the basement, your homeowners insurance should cover the damage. Policies almost always include coverage for “sudden or accidental” water damage.

However, things are different when it comes to black water damage. Situations in which sewer water or groundwater flooding impacts your home are typically not covered by your basic homeowners insurance. Here’s why.

Black water damagecontains high levels of contaminants, including bacteria and pathogens. As a result, it’s much harder to clean up and often forces people to evacuate their homes. The severity of the situation changes how insurance deals with the problem and often causes the price of repairs to skyrocket.

Homeowners insurance covers accidents that occur within the home, but if that contaminated water is seeping in from an outside problem, the damages are not eligible for coverage. When a sewer system or septic tank overflows, causing dirty water to flow into your home, you’ll be forced to pay for repairs out-of-pocket.

Regardless of where the water came from, floods are not covered by typical insurance policies. It doesn’t matter if it happens because of storms or human-caused accidents. You’ll have to purchase a separate flood insurance policy for an additional cost in order to be protected from flood damage. Look into the National Flood Insurance Program to obtain coverage for black water floodingfrom nearby rivers, lakes, or streets.

Because black water is dangerous to deal with, don’t tackle the situation on your own. Call Restoration 1 of Summit County. Our team members are equipped with the latest technology and gear to safely handle the situation. Call 973-250-4306at any time on any day to schedule a restoration project with us.