What Is The Difference Between Home Insurance & Flood Insurance?

...and what you need to know when flooding happens to you!

Homeowners Insurance or Home Insurance, is a type of insurance that will cover damage and loss to one’s residence. Home insurance covers the costs associated with repairing your home after damaging events such as fire, theft, and weather related damage.

In fact, homeowners insurance will cover many types of water damage. Those include bursting or leaking pipes, damage from heavy rainfall, septic tank back ups and appliance overflows. Keep in mind, these claims will not be covered by your insurance if any of this damage was a result of poor maintenance and upkeep.

All too often, one of the most common questions I get here in South Florida is whether or not flooding is covered by home insurance. The answer to that is a resounding no. I encourage those of you living in flood zones, whether you reside in Miami or anywhere along the coast, to invest in flood insurance. Flooding can cause major damage resulting in thousands of dollars in repairs. Cover yourself and your home by investing in flood insurance.

If you cannot get flood insurance through your homeowners insurance company, it’s possible that you may be eligible for coverage through the National Flood Insurance Program, administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. NFIP policies are offered through independent agents nationwide. Costs and requirements can vary widely depending on the risk factors where you live. FEMA's website includes an interactive flood map that can help determine the risk in your area.

Even if you have a lot of water in your home or business because of something like a broken water pipe, it still would not be considered flood. That would be covered by your homeowners or commercial policy. The way to think about it is that a flood is considered water that is rising up from the ground a body of water or from a storm that is affecting your yard and home and is also impacting surrounding areas.

If you experience a flood, you need to file the claim as quickly as possible. I strongly suggest using a public adjuster (here are the big 3 reasons why you should work with a public adjuster) to help you through this process in order to ensure you file the claim properly and with the highest reimbursement for your belongings.

Contact us today to take care of your claim for you.

(305) 363-2400