Sump Pump Insurance Coverage

1/14/2017 (Permalink)

Sump Pump Insurance Coverage

Sump pump - Most commonly found in basements, this a pump used to remove accumulated water from a sump basin.

You have homeowner’s insurance but are you really covered? If you have a sump pump it can, and most likely will fail at some point. Other than preventative maintenance your only other fail safe is to have the proper insurance for that inevitable day. For preventative maintenance tips, please see our other article on Top 4 Reasons Why Sump Pumps Fail.(SS add hyperlink here internal linking)

Most homeowner’s policies will not cover the sump pump unless you have a specific rider for it. This rider will protect you against failed sump pumps that result in water damage. This would include drains and discharges where water can backup into your home. This rider is not to be confused with a sewer backup rider which covers water backed up into the home from drains, toilets, etc. Depending on where the break occurs, your municipality may not cover the damages to your home and you may be stuck with repairing a sewer pipe as well as removing sewage from your home.

The rider covers you for damage and clean up of water. For some policies, the resulting flood itself may not be covered unless an additional flood insurance rider is on the policy. Also beware of contents coverage. This means, even if you are covered for the flooding, your furniture and pricey electronics may not be eligible for replacement. The extra amount for a rider is nothing compared to the stress that can be caused by having to cover a loss yourself due to inadequate or non-existing coverage.

Having the coverage in itself is not a fail-safe. You must keep the pump in good working condition, and keep it free from debris in order to be eligible for a claim. This is determined by your insurance company adjuster. If the pump is found to be clogged or neglected, your claim may be denied altogether or you may face steep increases for renewal or face being dropped.

After a failure it is important to start the drying process right away. Leaving items wet can potentially lead to secondary damage, which again may not be covered due to the source of the damages. Your local SERVPRO® of North Raleigh, Wake Forest, and North Durham can be on-site with a professionally trained team within hours of your call.

We can repair your damages and get your home back to its incident state… “Like it never even happened.”