Water leaks can be devastating to the structural integrity of buildings and can cause all kinds of problems over time. It is important to understand how to make a successful water leak insurance claim in Australia as quickly as possible to ensure that damages are repaired before they become any worse. With this simple guide, making a water leak insurance claim will be an easy process that will allow you to repair any damage from your leak quickly and efficiently to mitigate any further risks.
Understanding Water Damage Insurance Claims
There are several reasons that one may need to make an insurance claim for water damage. It may be something as simple and unavoidable as a burst pipe, or it could be something a little more dramatic, such as a leak behind a wall or a flood.
The first thing you need to be aware of is what your insurance covers you for. Under general home insurance, a flood can sometimes be considered as an “act of God” and therefore, not covered by your policy, whereas if you have a shower leak behind the wall, insurance will generally cover the resultant damage as part of your existing policy. Unless there is trace and access cover you, may be responsible for the costs to repair the burst/leaking pipe. If you live in a flood-prone area, it is worth looking into flood cover home insurance to ensure you are financially protected from the unforeseeable.
Key Steps to Filing a Water Leak Insurance Claim
The process of making a water leak insurance claim may vary slightly between insurers, but as a general rule, there are steps that will need to be taken.
- Get the leak under control
As soon as a water leak is discovered, your priority should be to stop the water as quickly as possible. Remove standing water as quickly as possible and open windows and doors to reduce the risk of secondary damage. If water has tracked down through ceilings, and it’s safe to do so, switch off power to lighting circuits and do not use until they have been checked for electrical safety. - Contact your insurance provider ASAP
Letting your insurance provider know the situation as quickly as possible is one of the most important water damage insurance claim tips we can offer. This way your insurer can provide guidance on which water restoration services in Queensland will be covered under the insurance you have. - Keep detailed information
Throughout the leak and recovery process, you must keep accurate and detailed records of everything that occurs to help you with your claim. Take plenty of photographs of the damage and the areas affected, video footage will also assist. - Collect quotes for repairs
As soon as the extent of the damage is known, you will need to gather quotations from a licensed property restoration company, including recommendations as to whether you will require structural drying or other additional services to repair the damage. - Make a formal water leak insurance claim
Your insurer and chosen property restoration company will assist you in making a formal insurance claim as quickly as possible to ensure that no further damage occurs to your home with time. - Direct instruction of an Emergency water damage restoration contractor.
Please ensure that if you engage an emergency restoration contractor out of hours, you confirm costs of service, Insurance Companies have controlled pricing schedules in place that many Insurance restoration contractors adhere too, for example – The average daily hires costs for an air fan range between $35 – $45 per day, Mid-sized dehumidifier daily hire rates range from $65 – $85 per day, Large dehumidifier daily hire rates range from $110 – $150/day. Air filtration device daily hire rates range from $85 to $150/day. Also, confirm Emergency Call out fees, labour rates and whether or not there are minimum timeframe hire rates in-place, e.g. The contractor may charge you for a minimum of three to four day hire charges, even if the equipment is removed after 2 days due to your insurer appointing an Insurer approved panel restoration contractor. Often your insurance company will conduct invoice audits for fair and reasonable charges, should it be found that there is a cost difference from accepted industry rates, your Insurer may only pay part of the Invoice, leaving you to pick up any shortfall.
Exploring Flood Coverage in Home Insurance Policies
It is important to ensure that you have the correct home insurance to cover you for a range of possibilities. You need to know the answers ahead of time, so you don’t need to wonder “If my roof is leaking, is it covered by insurance?”. With these simple water damage insurance claim tips, we hope that handling an inconvenient problem will become a little easier in a stressful situation.
FAQs
To ascertain whether a leak in your roof will be covered by your insurance policy, you first need to look at the cause of the leak. In most situations, trees falling on roofs during storms will be covered by home insurance policies but if the cause of a leaking roof comes from a major weather event, then it may not be covered. The best way to know with absolute certainty if a leaking roof is covered by your insurer is to read the policy wording closely and carefully.
The first step to addressing a behind-the-wall leak is to stop the water coming into the pipe to minimise the damage as much as possible. Once you have taken this important step, you can begin your water leak insurance claim by contacting your insurance company to advise them of the situation and get guidance for the next steps.
Carpet damage caused by water leaks is something that is generally covered by a home contents insurance policy. The exception to this is common areas such as hallways in a Strata Complex building. To be certain that something like this would be covered, you should refer to the policy wording for your existing insurance policy or contact your insurance provider directly.