Water damage insurance questions?

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water damage insurance questions?

Last night, my son got out of bed and played in the bathroom. He has never done this before but he apparently filled the sink with toilet paper which made it fill up to the point of overflowing. When i heard him playing in the hallway I got up immediately and saw that he was soaked and heard the water running. It was far too late- the water had filled the bathroom to about a 1/4 inch of water and it had flowed out to the hallway carpet, and worse flowed through the vent which led to our downstairs stairwell/hallway/laundry room. it was a water fall coming through the ceiling. The recessed lighting and dropped ceiling was was pouring water all over our hardwood floors, washer and dryer, living room rug and staircase. it even got through a bit to the basement. We spent hours removing vents, drying and cleaning everything and removing bits of fallen dropped ceiling, and set up fans and buckets to catch/dry up whatever was left but im sure it got under the floors and that there are areas we couldn't access in the ceiling that are damp. Here are my questions:

1. Today is Saturday and im not sure if i should call insurance today or wait til monday.

2. Im not sure if i should call insurance at all? Will it cover such an act?

3. We had not updated our insurance about the hardwood floors yet- so will that harm us when we call?

4. Is there the possibility of mold or other poisons in the air now? is it safe to be in the house?

5. How do i get the musty odor out of the house?

6. My son that did this has special needs (PDD NOS) so does insurance change its coverage based on that or would respite help the costs of cleanup?



I really appreciate all and any help or advice. thank you!Water damage insurance questions?
1. Overflow is excluded under many policies. Other's cover it. NEVER listen to a contract service as to whether something is covered by your insurance company. Each policy is different based on the policy language. Besides that, they don't carry an insurance license and should not be giving advice about coverage.



2. Another poster explained perfectly how to word it to your insurance company. It needs to be a hypothetical question. If you tell your insurance company it involves you, they're obligated to report it and this could stay on your record for a minimum of 3 years, regardless if it's covered or not.



3. You do not have to contact your insurance company everytime you make a change to your home. When you add square footage, you may need to increase your coverage, otherwise, you can keep the coverage you carry without contacting the insurance company.



4. You'll need to set fans in every room and dry out everything you can, the best you can. If it is covered, one of the stipulations will be that you took all measures to prevent further damage. You'll need to pull up the carpet if you can't dry it out sufficiently. Bleach will help with the mold.



5. The fact your son has special needs does not affect whether their is coverage or not. Your policy's language will be very clear about coverage.



6. Don't wait to contact your insurance company and again, ask the question hypothetically.



7. Unless you have over $2,000 damage, I wouldn't make a claim, if it's covered. It will cause a surcharge of your policy and too many claims in a short period of time can cause a cancellation.
1. If you are going to call anyway, then call now.



3. The hardwood floors might not be covered. It should not harm your coverage for other things.



4. No. Mold grows slowly, over long periods of type (days).



5. Dry everything thoroughly. Then leave the windows open for a few days.Water damage insurance questions?
1. Call today or Monday- it probably won't make a difference.
2. Most homeowner's policies WILL cover this type of loss- it is considered overflow from a plumbing system.
3. No. You don't have to tell your ins. co. every time you do something in your house.
4. A professional restoration contractor will be able to get your house sufficiently dry to prevent mold.
5. The contractor will use dehumidifiers, fans, and will deodorize if necessary.
6. Your son's condition shouldn't make any difference on the claim. However, ins. companies sometimes charge more for (or won't insure) in a situation where there is "increased risk".
1 %26amp; 2. Don't call the insurance, it won't be covered.
3. That will possibly "harm" you, depending upon the circumstances.
4. Yes, there is a possibility of mold forming. It will take a few days to a few weeks for it to form though. However, it sounds like you did a good job drying the place. 99% of the mold in the home does not have the dangerous pathogens so it's doubtful that you'll have any problems even if mold does form.
5. Open the windows and circulate the air.
6. No, the insurance doesn't change. You might get some respite from health organizations in your area but not from the insurance company. PDD NOS is the mildest form of Autism and experts differ on whether it is an actual disease. If that mischief was a sign of a disorder than 90% of us would have some form.Water damage insurance questions?
1. Don't call today, and don't call Monday. Grab a look at your policy, and read it. The standard homeowners insurance policy ONLY covers water damage, if it's caused by burst pipes, or leakage from radiators - NOT overflow.

2. Not having seen your policy or knowing what KIND of insurance you have, it's impossible to say - but if I were you, I'd call my agent, and say, "hey, my friend's kid just stopped up her sink and made it overflow, and her insurance says they won't cover the water damage. If that happened with MY insurance policy, would it cover it?" You can't tell your agent that it already happened, or they WILL have to file the claim. It needs to be a hypothetical question.

3. It doesn't matter that you upgraded to hardwood floors.

4. If you have running water in your house, there's a possibility of mold. Mold is a NORMAL part of what happens with humidity. Period. Seriously, ever leave food in the fridge too long? Ever clean your bathroom? Mold is EVERYWHERE. That scarey toxic stuff is pretty rare, but it doesn't matter anyway, as mold damage is excluded on the standard homeowners policy.

5. Air out the house, and run some dehumidifiers.

6. Coverage does not change, based on son's medical diagnosis (which, btw, I have no idea what those letters mean, but it doesn't change.



Good luck!