by dragani » Wed May 20, 2015 03:43 pm
We have homeowners insurance policy with Farmers. Last week we noticed water seeping through the kitchen tile floor and after walking around and inspecting other areas, we found that some spots on the floor feel really hot. We called a plumber asap and he suspected a slab leak. The house is ranch style built on slab. A crew of leak detection specialists and plumbers is coming tomorrow to work on the problem. In the meantime, we filed a claim with Farmers. An adjuster called us to let us know in advance that we have no coverage for such issues! However, the adjuster is still coming tomorrow to inspect. We don't know what to expect. This is a leak that we had no previous knowledge of. Is there a possibility to have them cover the damages? Thank you in advance for responding.
Posted: Thu May 28, 2015 05:44 am Post Subject:
This is probably excluded from coverage as a maintenance issue. However, damage to flooring/carpeting is covered. This is one of the reasons many states have outlawed running water supply lines in the slab. By the time you discover the damage, is will be substantially worse than you imagine.
Posted: Thu May 28, 2015 03:23 pm Post Subject:
Thank you very much for responding. The issue was already resolved by our insurance carrier (Farmer's), but I will share our experience in case someone is in the same situation. We are in Illinois. The leaking pipe was located a few feet away from the spot where we saw water through the grout lines. The insurance reimbursed our expenses for locating the leak by specialists, excavating to reach the pipe, repair and backfill of the hole with concrete. They did not pay for the actual pipe, but this was a tiny fraction of the total cost. The insurance will also cover the cost to replace the entire kitchen floor (minus our deductible of course). I try to look at the bright side because we will end up with a new floor, but I hope that we will not have the same issue in the future.
Posted: Wed Jun 03, 2015 11:13 pm Post Subject:
I am sorry to hear about your loss however, I happy to hear that your insurance company is doing the right thing. For others reading this post, the main issue with these types of claims is to FIRST locate direct physical damage to your property, it doesn't need to be tons of damage but you do need to first trigger your coverage under your policy which is intended to cover you for the same. If you did not have any damage to your property other than a plumbing problem, then it would potentially be considered a wear and tear item as your insurance policy is not intended to be for maintenance issues that arise.
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