Storm water
Water came in from outside. That is the sentence that changes which policy answers.
How the water got in decides which policy answers. Rain that entered through an opening the storm made is usually covered by a homeowners policy. Water that rose off the ground and came in at floor level is flood, which a homeowners policy excludes everywhere in the United States and which needs a separate NFIP policy bought at least 30 days earlier.
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Rain through an opening, or water rising off the ground
Standard homeowners wording covers rain that entered because the storm first damaged the building, for instance by removing roof covering or breaking a window. It excludes surface water that rose and flowed in. The same storm can produce both in the same house, and the two halves are claimed separately.
This is why an adjuster asks where the water entered rather than how much there was. A stain that starts at the ceiling tells a different story from a tide line at ankle height.
Photograph the outside of the building as well as the inside, before anything is tarped or boarded. The damaged opening is the evidence for the covered half.
What the 30-day waiting period means today
Flood cover through the National Flood Insurance Program generally begins 30 days after purchase. A policy bought while a storm is forecast answers for nothing in that storm. If you do not hold flood cover and water rose into the building, the practical answer is that this loss is yours.
FEMA publishes the waiting period on its own flood insurance pages, and the rule exists precisely to stop policies being bought against a named storm.
Some assistance may be available where a federal disaster is declared, but assistance is not insurance and the amounts are not comparable.
Treat it as contaminated until someone says otherwise
Water that has crossed ground, roads or a flooded drain carries whatever it passed over. The trade treats it as contaminated, which means porous material that soaked it is discarded rather than dried. That is true even where the water looked clear coming in.
Wear boots and gloves, keep children and pets out, and do not run a domestic wet vacuum through it.
A storm that flooded the street has usually flooded the sewer system too, which is the practical reason for the rule.
The same storm, four positions
Which policy answers depends on who you are as much as on where the water came from.
- 01You own and live here. Split the claim as you document it: opening-and-rain on the homeowners policy, anything that rose from the ground on flood cover if you hold it.
- 02You own it and rent it out. The building is yours to make safe and dry quickly. Tenant belongings are not on your policy, and saying so early avoids a fight later.
- 03You are buying the place. Ask whether the property has flooded before and whether the seller holds flood cover. Previous claims attach to the property in ways that affect what you can buy afterwards.
- 04You rent here. The building is the owner problem. Your belongings need renters insurance, and standard renters policies exclude flood exactly as homeowners policies do.
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What to ask before you agree to anything
Ask these of whoever turns up. A contractor who answers them plainly is the one you want; a contractor who will not is telling you something.
- 01Where do you think the water entered, and what are you basing that on?
- 02Are you treating this as contaminated, and what does that change?
- 03How high are you cutting the drywall, and why that height?
- 04Is the insulation in the walls wet, and is it coming out?
- 05What are you documenting for the insurer, and will I get a copy?
- 06What licence do you hold, and has it been checked against the state register since the storm?
Have this ready before you call
Three facts move the first minute past the formalities: what happened, when it started, and whether water is still moving. These add the detail that decides what gets loaded on the van.
- Whether water came in at floor level, through the roof, or both
- Whether the street or yard flooded as well
- Whether you hold a separate flood policy, and roughly since when
- What the storm damaged outside: roof, windows, doors
- How deep it got inside, at the deepest point
- Whether the power is on and whether the panel got wet
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Where these figures come from
Every number on this page is published by someone other than us, and each link goes to their own text rather than to a summary of it.