Homeowner's Insurance Question

[G-Man]

Water pipe bursts inside wall and does damage to wall, floor, and ceiling below.  Allstate says they don't cover that, it's considered regular maintenance.  Doesn't sound right, does it?

How do you maintain a copper water pipe that is inside a wall?

[indybobm]

We have interior pipe coverage for inside the house. We got it through our water company. Otrher companies offer it as well, we get about 5 letters a year from various companies offering this. I think ours costs $60.00 a year. Cheap considering our house was built in 1862.

[Spirited-6]

Before the meter or after,,, after yours !

[Wizzard]

I have liberty mutual and one of the frost free pipes malfunctioned and flooded my basement which is finished and cost to repair was 8k. They covered it no questions asked.

[G-Man]

We have interi9or pipe coverage for inside the house. We got it through our water company. Otrher companies offer it as well, we get about 5 letters a year from various companies offering this. I think ours costs $60.00 a year. Cheap considering our house was built in 1862.

Never heard of it.

Will look into it.

[G-Man]

Before the meter or after,,, after yours !

After!  Middle apt. in a 3 apt. house.

Does that mean if a fire is caused by wires inside the wall and does damage, or even worse causes harm, homeowners doesn't cover.  And if insurance doesn't cover, I'm responsible???   

I have to incorporate.  I keep saying this and then I procrastinate.  I'm definitely goon look into this tomorrow!

[Patrick]

Water pipe bursts inside wall and does damage to wall, floor, and ceiling below.  Allstate says they don't cover that, it's considered regular maintenance.  Doesn't sound right, does it?

How do you maintain a copper water pipe that is inside a wall?

That doesn't sound right to me. Why else would anyone buy coverage. I hope you are arguing about that.
It seems Allstate home coverage is as bad as their auto coverage.

[RainMaker]

Googled this:

Coverage
In general, water damage from a burst pipe inside your home will be covered by a standard homeowners' insurance policy. If an outside pipe bursts and causes damage, that should be covered, too, though you must be able to demonstrate that the damage did indeed come from the burst pipe. If the insurer concludes that poor drainage--a non-covered maintenance problem--was the real culprit, your claim may be denied.

Limitations
Your water-damage claim also might be denied if your insurer concludes that you are responsible for the pipe bursting in the first place. Most pipes that burst do so because they freeze. If you left your home unheated during freezing weather, your insurer can cite your negligence as a reason for denying your claim. Even if your insurer does pay for the water damage, it may refuse to pay to repair the pipe itself. Insurance doesn't cover normal wear and tear on a home. If the pipe burst simply because it was old and corroded, or because it was attached to an appliance that malfunctioned, that might count as normal wear and tear.

[da prez]

G-man , We have an insurance agent that walks on water as far as we are concerned. I called him and his reply-Question your agent as to Why- How and get into a conversation about the topic. Most policies cover this type of damage.
  If no luck- B-B and then dept. of insurance -then allstate.com - then the 800 nnumber to allstate management. Be firm and nice as the old saying goes. If it is not  specificly   written out of your policy , then it should be covered. Take good pictures before and during the work if you start before settling your claim. 
  Remember that water in a wall will start mold and any wet area must be opened and dried and cleaned with a moldicide to  prevent problems. Do not allow any short cuts in the process and get a written guarantee of the quality of the work. Make sure to use a remediation company liscenced  in this work.

                              da prez

[Jack B]

 That happened to me a few years ago at one of my apartments and State Farm covered everything 100%

[Hooter]

Hmmmm, Never heard of such a thing. Guess I will ask my insurance guy. So what are we supposed to do look at all the piping in our walls? I always thought that was what insurance was for? Things just like this!   ???

[johnhunter44]

I had a water line to freeze and burst.  State Farm paid for all the damage the water did.  It sounds like they are conning you.  Review your policy and if it doesn't clearly exclude that type damage, get a lawyer.

[CajunRider]

I had an A/C unit drain pipe come loose (due to the A/C guy doing an annual check up...   ).

Wet ceiling caved into the living room damaging the hard-wood floors and a laptop.  

Insurance covered the laptop (pro-rated on a 5 year life-span), the floor (sand and re-finish), and the ceiling (basic sheet-rock & paint).  

About $3500 in damage with a $1000 deductible... insurance paid about $2500.  

They didn't cover the insulation that was lost during the cave in.     I bough a roll of the pink stuff to re-insulate.  

[TallRider]

I am retired insurance adjuster. 28 yrs with Allstate as a homeowner adjuster. 6 months in Miami during hurrican Andrew. Personally wrote about 18.5 mil in checks during my stay there. That is Miami, who knows how much in 28 yrs. If pipe deteriated from corrosion or rust it is not covered. It is wear and tear. The pipe deteriated over a long period of time. If frozen and burst or cut or puncured suddenly it is covered. The key is sudden and accidental. If leaked and caused damage over a long period of time and damage was cumlative and you ignored the problem it is not covered. If pipe burst from decay pipe not covered and if damage from the burst was sudden and accidental. The damage is covered but not the pipe. If plumber has to remove part of the structure to facilitate repairs. The cost to repair that done to fix the pipe is covered put not the pipe repair. If a condo or town house there are limited coverage issues. Structure may not be covered but decorative repairs could be. Need to check condo bi laws. The mere statement claim denied would lead me to suspect the could be cercumstances warrenting denial. Water damage sudden and accidental is covered. Repeated leakage and accumilated damage could be denied. That is why they say when a lose occures. Protect your property, do emergency repairs if required to prevent further damage. Your property is your responsibility to protect and maintain. So the question is did a rusty pipe suddenly burst? If so the damage should be covered. If it was leaking for a long time and evidence of rot and mold and finally burst you may have a problem with the insurance covering the damage or there may be limited recovery.  Generally speaking water damage from burst pipe that occurred suddenly should be covered but not the pipe itself unless the burst was caused by cutting puncturing or breaking the pipe during some other event not related to decay of the pipe. Things may seem simple when dealing with ho or auto  insurance. Just remember sudden and accidental and damage was from a single occurance. Accumilative damage is not covered. You can't go out and have your car hit 3 different times and expect 1 deductable, sorry there are 3 occurances andv3 deductables, same with ho policy. I don't know how many times I've gone on a loss when some one claims leaking roof with 2 or 3 obvious occurances and some one trying to tell me it occurred all at once. Best of luck. Hope this is helpful to everyone. 28 yrs and I do not know of any instance the insurance Co tried to avoid the claim. The insurance Co is under contract with the insured to responsibly resolve the claim. Just remember the policy is a contract. The insurance Co follows it to the letter.

[The emperor has no clothes]

I am retired insurance adjuster. 28 yrs with Allstate as a homeowner adjuster. 6 months in Miami during hurrican Andrew. Personally wrote about 18.5 mil in checks during my stay there. That is Miami, who knows how much in 28 yrs. If pipe deteriated from corrosion or rust it is not covered. It is wear and tear. The pipe deteriated over a long period of time. If frozen and burst or cut or puncured suddenly it is covered. The key is sudden and accidental. If leaked and caused damage over a long period of time and damage was cumlative and you ignored the problem it is not covered. If pipe burst from decay pipe not covered and if damage from the burst was sudden and accidental. The damage is covered but not the pipe. If plumber has to remove part of the structure to facilitate repairs. The cost to repair that done to fix the pipe is covered put not the pipe repair. If a condo or town house there are limited coverage issues. Structure may not be covered but decorative repairs could be. Need to check condo bi laws. The mere statement claim denied would lead me to suspect the could be cercumstances warrenting denial. Water damage sudden and accidental is covered. Repeated leakage and accumilated damage could be denied. That is why they say when a lose occures. Protect your property, do emergency repairs if required to prevent further damage. Your property is your responsibility to protect and maintain. So the question is did a rusty pipe suddenly burst? If so the damage should be covered. If it was leaking for a long time and evidence of rot and mold and finally burst you may have a problem with the insurance covering the damage or there may be limited recovery.  Generally speaking water damage from burst pipe that occurred suddenly should be covered but not the pipe itself unless the burst was caused by cutting puncturing or breaking the pipe during some other event not related to decay of the pipe. Things may seem simple when dealing with ho or auto  insurance. Just remember sudden and accidental and damage was from a single occurance. Accumilative damage is not covered. You can't go out and have your car hit 3 different times and expect 1 deductable, sorry there are 3 occurances andv3 deductables, same with ho policy. I don't know how many times I've gone on a loss when some one claims leaking roof with 2 or 3 obvious occurances and some one trying to tell me it occurred all at once. Best of luck. Hope this is helpful to everyone. 28 yrs and I do not know of any instance the insurance Co tried to avoid the claim. The insurance Co is under contract with the insured to responsibly resolve the claim. Just remember the policy is a contract. The insurance Co follows it to the letter.

Good info to know 

[Oss]

Gary

Your being lied to by that piece of crap company

Personally I think they suck from 25 yrs doing pers injury work. You know I won't touch anything associated with allstate.  Advice  given abovementioned is what I would do
Can call me Thursday nite  after we return from aruba

[TallRider]

G-Man , your post as stated would put the insurance co in question, as  water damage due to a pipe burst should be covered. again per my previous post the question I have is are you in a condo or town house. The issue of maintinance and repair of the pipe is like a state law you are not aware of breaking it is no excuse., same holds true with the fact you may not have been aware of the pipe issue. In either case the pipe is not covered if due to deteriation but the resulting damage should be if it occured suddenly. if it shows evidence of prolonged leakage and rot and mold you may have a problem even if the pipe finally burst. Basic homeowner policies are universal throughout the US it is generally the adjuster who may sometime miss interpret the coverage. There are certain states where there are extreme cercumstances were a normal coverage becomes an exclusion and requires special riders to be coverd. THe basic coverage is fire, lightning windstorm and hail. This is on all policies. All the other coverages are added to Standard, Delux, Renters, Landlord, Condo policies. Certain states require addition to normal standard coverage, Fla for example wind storm is excluded and requires specific coverage. I beleive in California fire is excluded and requires a specific rider to be covered due to the extreme hazard in that state.  As is earthquake coverage. Illinois were i come from has mine subsidence coverage. Normaly when a building or other structure begins cracking or settleing these issues are not covered because they are over time and due to normal settlement but due to subteranium coal mines in Ill there was set up a special money pool by the mining co and requires home  owners in mine areas to purchase mine subsidence coverage. Familiar with Flood insurance? Similar issue. As an adjuster your statement you were denied immediately peaks my suspicion as to what he saw as the cause and damages and what happened to create the incident. You may very well have been wrongfully denied and I recommend contacting a supervisor in the office handling your claim for further review. The adjuster does not necessarily have the last word. Every instance I have had in my 28 years of a homeowner complaint has been from the policy holder not understanding the coverage. The majority of problems is them wanting something more than what the are entitled to and in many cases something the never had in the first place to repair or replace something damaged. Just remember any 1st party coverage auto, HO, Boat Bike Jet Ski etc has to be sudden and accidental and a single occurance . Continuouse and repeated leakage from a defective pipe over a prolonged period is not covered even if you are not aware of it happening. Read your policies everyone those exclusions are under items not covered in your policies. Hopefully your issue is a miss understanding. Just like others have posted about their totaled bikes. Insurance Co go through a process to determine value. You may not like or accept it. Need to document and barter to get the best settlements. Most co will negotiate values on claims .Adjusters can be asses. Lets hope you get it resolved equitably.Your policy is a contract between you and the insurance co they have to abide by it and interpret it literaly to all claims as does the homeowner.

[G-Man]

G-Man , your post as stated would put the insurance co in question, as  water damage due to a pipe burst should be covered. again per my previous post the question I have is are you in a condo or town house. The issue of maintinance and repair of the pipe is like a state law you are not aware of breaking it is no excuse., same holds true with the fact you may not have been aware of the pipe issue. In either case the pipe is not covered if due to deteriation but the resulting damage should be if it occured suddenly. if it shows evidence of prolonged leakage and rot and mold you may have a problem even if the pipe finally burst. Basic homeowner policies are universal throughout the US it is generally the adjuster who may sometime miss interpret the coverage. There are certain states where there are extreme cercumstances were a normal coverage becomes an exclusion and requires special riders to be coverd. THe basic coverage is fire, lightning windstorm and hail. This is on all policies. All the other coverages are added to Standard, Delux, Renters, Landlord, Condo policies. Certain states require addition to normal standard coverage, Fla for example wind storm is excluded and requires specific coverage. I beleive in California fire is excluded and requires a specific rider to be covered due to the extreme hazard in that state.  As is earthquake coverage. Illinois were i come from has mine subsidence coverage. Normaly when a building or other structure begins cracking or settleing these issues are not covered because they are over time and due to normal settlement but due to subteranium coal mines in Ill there was set up a special money pool by the mining co and requires home  owners in mine areas to purchase mine subsidence coverage. Familiar with Flood insurance? Similar issue. As an adjuster your statement you were denied immediately peaks my suspicion as to what he saw as the cause and damages and what happened to create the incident. You may very well have been wrongfully denied and I recommend contacting a supervisor in the office handling your claim for further review. The adjuster does not necessarily have the last word. Every instance I have had in my 28 years of a homeowner complaint has been from the policy holder not understanding the coverage. The majority of problems is them wanting something more than what the are entitled to and in many cases something the never had in the first place to repair or replace something damaged. Just remember any 1st party coverage auto, HO, Boat Bike Jet Ski etc has to be sudden and accidental and a single occurance . Continuouse and repeated leakage from a defective pipe over a prolonged period is not covered even if you are not aware of it happening. Read your policies everyone those exclusions are under items not covered in your policies. Hopefully your issue is a miss understanding. Just like others have posted about their totaled bikes. Insurance Co go through a process to determine value. You may not like or accept it. Need to document and barter to get the best settlements. Most co will negotiate values on claims .Adjusters can be asses. Lets hope you get it resolved equitably.Your policy is a contract between you and the insurance co they have to abide by it and interpret it literaly to all claims as does the homeowner.

This happened at our rental property.  We have a 3 story attached house (our is attached on both sides).

I appreciate all this info.  I think my wife got got some info wrong either when she called them, or when she relayed what they said to me.  Now at least I have more info for when I get involved. 

Thanks to all! 

[Jess Tolbirt]

sounds to me like what is being said is that we need to rip out all of our walls so we can keep an eye on our pipes..
i had a home in tx and the water pipe under the kitchen floor developed a small leak that sprayed onto the bottom of the floor for no tellin how many years before the floor actually go soft..we tore out the floor and found the problem,, of course there was rot and mold under the floor because this leak was very small and the spray was like a very fine mist and it took years..ins paid for all repairs and if i would have been denied no tellin what might have happend to the adjuster..a contract is a contract, read it!!