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Published on Tuesday, Aug 21, 2007
The way water enters your home makes it easy to know whether your losses are covered by homeowner's insurance, or whether it's covered only if you have separate flood insurance or additional coverage on your policy.
Here are the possibilities:
If water swells in the street or yard and enters your home through a door or windows, that is covered only if you have separate flood insurance.
If water swells from your sump pump or drain into your basement, it's covered only if you have additional coverage on your homeowner's policy, usually called an endorsement for backup sewer and drain coverage. Higher-end policies might include this, but it's not the norm, so you'll have to check with your agent first.
If heavy rains and wind cause water (not floodwaters) to enter your house through windows or cause leaks in your roof, that is covered under your traditional homeowner's policy.
The biggest misconception is that water damage of any type because of a flood or heavy rain is covered.
That's wrong and it's not the best time to find that out when you're knee-deep in water.
''People think everything is covered,'' said Mitch Wilson, a spokesman for the Ohio Insurance Institute, a trade organization representing the property and casualty insurance industry. ''Damage caused by flood is always excluded from a homeowner's policy.''
Flood insurance is a separate policy that homeowners may purchase. You can get it through many private insurance agents, but it's administered through a federal government program. And you don't have to live in a flood plain to get flood insurance. As long as you live in a community that participates in the program, you can purchase a flood policy. Currently, 732 communities in the state participate and 68 don't. (To find out whether your community participates, go to http://www.fema.gov/cis/OH.pdf)
There's also a lot of information at the National Flood Insurance Program's site, http://www.floodsmart.gov, including a spot where you can put in your address to see your flood risk.
The average annual premium for Ohio flood insurance in 2006 was $605. The average cost to include a backup sewer and drain endorsement to a homeowner's policy is about $50 a year. Coverage varies among companies, so it's important to know what your company does and doesn't cover.
Flood-damaged cars are covered (after your deductible) under the ''other-than-collision'' portion of auto insurance, which also is called ''comprehensive.''
There's no difference between coverage if your car is in a parked spot that gets flooded, or if the car is damaged when you drive through high water (which isn't advisable anyway, for safety reasons), Wilson said.
Whenever there is a natural disaster, there will be some fly-by-night contractors who will try to benefit from your problems. Check a service company's record with consumer agencies, such as the local Better Business Bureau or the Ohio Attorney General's Office.
If damages are close to your deductible, consider paying those costs yourself instead of filing a claim. Insurance companies do keep track of claims and that can count against you in the future.
Betty Lin-Fisher can be reached at 330-996-3724 or blinfisher@ thebeaconjournal.com.
The way water enters your home makes it easy to know whether your losses are covered by homeowner's insurance, or whether it's covered only if you have separate flood insurance or additional coverage on your policy.
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