I have never made a claim in 20 years on my homeowners. Yesterday We feel the floor is a little wet, and find out the dishwasher has been leaking for a long time. The hardwood floors have been soaking it up for some time. There is some mold and water damage to the floor and the cabinets.

This means we have to replace the whole floor and many cabinets now. Insurance wont cover it because they say they don't cover long term damage events. Like I freakin knew there was water between the slab and the wood floor?

And I have what is supposed to be a premium plan. Fuck it, Im cancelling and just going with the cheapest Billy Bob corner insurance I can find.

You should contact a plumber to do the job....wouldn't want to try and fix it yourself and cause an even bigger mess that insurance might have to cover.

quote:

I have never made a claim in 20 years on my homeowners. Yesterday We feel the floor is a little wet, and find out the dishwasher has been leaking for a long time. The hardwood floors have been soaking it up for some time. There is some mold and water damage to the floor and the cabinets.

This means we have to replace the whole floor and many cabinets now. Insurance wont cover it because they say they don't cover long term damage events. Like I freakin knew there was water between the slab and the wood floor?

Call an attorney. A friend of mine had long term damage from a leaky pipe. They noticed it when the brick facing was pushed out. It took three years but their insurer paid ALL the costs including lodging and meals when they could not live in the home.

I have made quit a few claims over time. I learned not to divulge much information as to the damage. I stay very generic because words like mold, and any time frames are your worst enemy. I would have called yours in as leaking water from somewhere and I don’t know how long. Seems my floors are wet. Insurance isn’t like the old days when they Just said ok to everything. I had a breakin a few months back, they made me sign a paper stating I wasn’t the thief..paraphrasing.
I would call them back and try to explain the water problem and ask what they can do without mentioning the mold. Did you call claims or your agent?

tell me about it.

I spent 10 years in water and fire damage industry as a contractor. This last jan i was able to track down a leak. The whole underside of the house is spray foamed. so tracing the leak was a bitch. turns out we had 3 leaks. The insurance has tried to stall us, saying it is long term leak, mold issue blah blah blah.

then sending us checks hoping we will cash them.

so, my suggestion.

Keep the story simple. You saw a piddle of water, investigated, found leak.

You know it is not long term you were under house x months ago.

you want all mitigation billing to go directly to the insurance company. NO sending you a check.

you want mitigation company to fight with insurance over the nuance of billing and estimates.

you want insurance company to cut a check to, and for the mitigation company to be deposited in what ever bank and paid once goals and processes are met. Final payment to be paid after work completed.

In our instance, it was the tiled double shower. Leaked under the flooring tile, and ajoining wood floor. They have to pull all tile, match the flooring, pull all cabinets and fictures in the bathroom. Then install and reinstall all bits and pieces. total, not including drying mitigation 26k. Total check they tried to send us, 8k.

estimated time frame, well it started in february, and they have not even done the tear out yet. Master bedroom unusable, master closet unusable, master bath unusable.

I am betting it will be done around jan 1

Random thoughts - hope at least one is helpful

Do you have a copy of your policy? knowing what's in the contract may help you know how to phrase your request. That is, will give you clues on what not to say.

I would not necessarily be in a huge hurry to switch companies. They might be more willing to work with an ongoing customer than a former policyholder.

Check through your network of friends, maybe someone knows an insurance adjuster that can help you with the proper wording when you go back to the company. Or might know an attorney familiar with insurance claims - if you have to get an attorney involved, getting one knowledgeable of insurance claims will be important.

Insurance is not meant to cover neglect and wear and tear. Read the definitions on the policy and it will state "sudden and accidental". Leaking for a long time is not sudden

You come home from work to find the fill hose to your washing machine broke and there's water everywhere, on the hardwood floors and carpets. Insurance will cover cost of floor refinishing and carpet replacement.

On the other hand you decide to replace the washer and find there was a slow leak behind it. Drywall is damaged along with flooring damage and possible mold. The adjuster will not approve coverage simply because it's obvious the leak was going on over a period of time. Might sound unfair but that's how it is. Telling the adjuster you just noticed it won't cut it.

I am going thru this as we speak. Price Pfister Faucet in the master bathroom. The hot water line fixed to the faucet ruptured - not the service line from LOWE's, the damn line attached permanently to the faucet set. Insurance proposed settlement is underwhelming to say the least. ACV actual cash value after depreciation, RCV recoverable cash value Who knows WTF they require to get this. Kitchen floor, bathroom vanity, master bedroom carpet, drywall, baseboards. A royal pain in the ass to say the least.

Gotta have it, but it often seems like money down a hole in the ground.

RMD

MY Condo Association coverage won't pay on leaks that are from latent design or builder defects or from leaks longer than 14 days. We know it, they surely do. We are not insured for poor maintenance.

How is this poor maintenance? Is pulling out your dishwasher and ripping up hardwood flooring periodically a common practice?

There was no sign of an issue until yesterday. I guess I should set my kitchen on fire, that would be covered.

quote:

Originally posted by rduckwor:
I am going thru this as we speak. Price Pfister Faucet in the master bathroom. The hot water line fixed to the faucet ruptured - not the service line from LOWE's, the damn line attached permanently to the faucet set. Insurance proposed settlement is underwhelming to say the least. ACV actual cash value after depreciation, RCV recoverable cash value Who knows WTF they require to get this. Kitchen floor, bathroom vanity, master bedroom carpet, drywall, baseboards. A royal pain in the ass to say the least.

Gotta have it, but it often seems like money down a hole in the ground.

RMD

I always make sure I have replacement cost insurance. Screw that depreciation BS.

quote:

Originally posted by wcb6092:

quote:

Originally posted by rduckwor:
I am going thru this as we speak. Price Pfister Faucet in the master bathroom. The hot water line fixed to the faucet ruptured - not the service line from LOWE's, the damn line attached permanently to the faucet set. Insurance proposed settlement is underwhelming to say the least. ACV actual cash value after depreciation, RCV recoverable cash value Who knows WTF they require to get this. Kitchen floor, bathroom vanity, master bedroom carpet, drywall, baseboards. A royal pain in the ass to say the least.

Gotta have it, but it often seems like money down a hole in the ground.

RMD

I always make sure I have replacement cost insurance. Screw that depreciation BS.

He has the replacement coverage. Every policy cover claims this way. You get the depreciated value at the start of the claim process. Once, the item is replaced, you submit the receipts, then you get the difference in a separate payment. You have one year to do this. Most people who never has a loss have no idea this is how it works. On smaller stuff, they may simply write a check to avoid the follow up but on big ones, it is standard practice.

quote:

Originally posted by Lord Vaalic:
How is this poor maintenance? Is pulling out your dishwasher and ripping up hardwood flooring periodically a common practice?

There was no sign of an issue until yesterday. I guess I should set my kitchen on fire, that would be covered.

Gaskets, hoses, waterpumps and water switches don't last forever and can be inspected. A dishwasher that isn't level may leak sooner or later.

https://removeandreplace.com/2...asher-leaking-water/

If the problem is old age (and presumably no maintenance) or a faulty installation, insurance doesn;t cover that.

Many insurance companies pay someone to just say 'No'... take it up the line, there is a good chance they will honor the claim.

Also, read the disclaimers in your policy... if it's not specifically in the disclaimers then it is covered.

I have always had USAA for homeowners insurance. When I had my water heater blow a leak while I was out of town for a few months some years back, flood the place, and create a mold farm throughout the whole place, I discovered that there was a clause in my policy similar to your "long term" issue.

They stated that if I was away longer than two weeks before this was discovered, I was not covered. Thankfully, I had always had the foresight to have a trusted neighbor "keep an eye on the property" when I was out of town for extended periods. He was willing to sign an affidavit to that effect and they covered all of the damage.