If water has just soaked your carpet or lifted a vinyl plank floor, you probably have two questions: how do I stop this from getting worse, and is my insurance going to pay for it? The first is a job for water damage restoration Columbus OH specialists. The answer to the second one depends almost entirely on where the water came from.
A standard Ohio homeowners policy treats a burst supply line very differently from a slow drip under the sink, and both very differently from a basement that fills during a storm. Here is how those lines are usually drawn, and what to do in the first few days so a valid claim does not get harder than it needs to be.
This article is general information, not insurance or legal advice. Your policy wording and your insurer decide what is covered.
Sudden water vs. slow water
The dividing line in most homeowners policies is timing. According to the Insurance Information Institute, the common HO-3 policy covers “accidental discharge of water from a plumbing system.” Slow leaks are a different story. As United Policyholders explains, many policies exclude “continuous or repeated seepage, leakage of water or the presence of condensation of humidity, moisture or vapor, over a period of time greater than 14 days,” and the 2011 HO-3 form excludes leakage from plumbing or appliances “over a period of weeks, months, years.”
So a supply line that bursts and floods the kitchen is the kind of event a policy is built for. A toilet seal that has leaked into the subfloor for months usually is not, even if the damage to the flooring ends up looking similar.
Reasonable care also matters. The National Association of Insurance Commissioners notes that burst pipe coverage assumes the homeowner took basic precautions, such as keeping the house heated or shutting off the water when it is empty, and that an insurer may deny a claim when those steps were skipped. That is worth remembering during a Columbus January, when pipes in exterior walls and crawl spaces are most exposed.
Three kinds of water a standard policy usually excludes
Three kinds of basement water are usually excluded from a standard policy.
Flood. The Ohio Department of Insurance is direct about it: “Flood insurance is not included in a standard property insurance policy. Flood insurance must be purchased separately.” Policies through the National Flood Insurance Program also carry a 30-day waiting period before they take effect, so buying one after the forecast turns bad will not help.
Groundwater seepage. Water that seeps into a basement from the ground is not the same as a plumbing leak. The Insurance Information Institute says “water seepage is excluded under the HO-3” and that “seepage is viewed as a maintenance issue and is not covered by insurance.”
Sewer and drain backup. The department’s homeowners insurance guide lists water damage from sewer backup or a basement leak among the typical exclusions for standard policy forms, and notes that additional coverage can usually be purchased. If you have a finished basement, it is worth checking whether your policy includes a backup endorsement before you need it.
Even flood insurance has limits in a basement
Flood insurance does not fill every gap either. FEMA’s basement coverage fact sheet says NFIP policies cover items such as furnaces, water heaters, sump pumps and central air units, plus cleanup. They do not cover “basement improvements (such as finished flooring, finished walls, bathroom fixtures, and other built-ins),” and they do not pay to remove non-covered items, including carpet installed in a basement.
In other words, the carpet and pad in a flooded basement rec room are usually the homeowner’s cost, even with a flood policy in place.
A Columbus program for repeat sewer backups
If your basement has flooded because the sewer backed up, the City of Columbus has a program aimed at stopping it from happening again. Project Dry Basement covers the cost of an approved backflow prevention device for single and two-family homes in Columbus that have had sewer backups. The city asks homeowners to report a backup right away to its 24-hour Sewer Maintenance Operations Center at 614-645-7102 and keep the service request number.
What to do before the adjuster arrives
The Ohio Department of Insurance’s homeowners guide lists steps for filing a claim, and several of them affect what happens to your floors:
- Notify your agent or insurer immediately.
- Make needed temporary repairs to protect your home from more damage, and keep the receipts.
- Keep damaged property until the insurer says you can get rid of it, and get that permission in writing.
- Cooperate with the adjuster’s requests for documentation or to inspect the damage.
Keeping damaged property can feel at odds with protecting the house from more damage. Soaked carpet and pad are not something you want sitting in the house for days, and a restoration crew will want to pull out what cannot be saved. The practical answer is to photograph the wet flooring, the source of the water and any damaged belongings before anything is moved, tell your adjuster what needs to come out and why, and ask them how they want it handled before anything is hauled away. For help deciding what can be dried and what has to go, see our guide on whether the carpet pad needs to be replaced after water damage.
Getting the water out fast
Whatever your policy says, the drying cannot wait for a coverage decision. FedCo Floors’ technicians are certified with the Institute of Inspection Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC). The team assesses the source and extent of the damage, extracts the water, sanitizes and deodorizes affected areas, sets up air movers and dehumidifiers, and monitors the equipment until the job is done. If the flooring cannot be saved, FedCo also repairs and replaces carpet, vinyl plank, sheet vinyl and other floor types.
If water is already on your floors, contact FedCo to get extraction started. The team is available during regular business hours (7:30 to 4, Monday through Friday) at 614-273-0988, option 1, or through the 24-hour service line at 877-850-6022.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does homeowners insurance cover water-damaged flooring?
It often does when the water comes from a sudden, accidental discharge, such as a burst pipe. Many policies exclude damage from leaks that continued over a longer period, often defined as more than 14 days or as weeks, months or years, and groundwater seeping into a basement is also excluded under the HO-3.
Is a flooded basement covered by homeowners insurance in Ohio?
Not if the cause is flooding. The Ohio Department of Insurance says flood coverage must be bought separately. Sewer backup is also a typical exclusion unless you have added coverage for it.
Does flood insurance pay for basement carpet?
Usually not. FEMA says NFIP policies generally exclude finished basement flooring and do not pay to remove carpet installed in a basement.
Should I throw out wet carpet before the adjuster comes?
Check with your insurer first. Ohio’s guidance is to keep damaged property until the company approves disposal, and to get that approval in writing. Photograph the wet carpet, the water source and any damaged belongings before anything is moved, then ask your adjuster how they want it handled.
