GREENSBORO, N.C. — One night of pouring rain or a couple of days of constant rain could make for a soggy situation inside your house.
Wet flooring could mean damage and chances are, the damage isn't covered by insurance.
“A rainstorm, what the country folks call a gully washer, it all comes in at once, it’s called seepage. We're going to have problems. It's going to depend on the carrier, but a lot of that coverage is going to be declined,” said Christopher Cook of Alliance Insurance Services.
Why doesn't insurance cover it? Here's the thing, insurance covers losses that are sudden and accidental.
A tree on the roof fits that description, but the seepage here may or may not.
“If the French drain around your house has always carried the water away and the drain collapsed that particular storm, that would be covered, or if the gutter clogged up that one time and it was a failure of the outside system that one time, that could be covered,” said Cook.
But if the adjuster sees that all your gutters are clogged because you simply didn’t clean them out, that’s not going to be considered sudden and accidental.
I'd like to tell you that you can get a seepage policy to add to your homeowners, but most companies don't offer it.
What you can do, is routine maintenance, make sure those gutters are cleaned out, the drain is working, and the slope around your house is adequate.
BE PREPARED FOR STORMS
Take pictures of insurance documents. Make sure it has your policy number, and your agent's number, and you get the gist. It wouldn't hurt to add your medical insurance, car insurance, mortgage info, and car loan info too.
This way, if your roof blows off and all your documents go with it you have all the info in one place. You can save all the pics into an album for easy reference.
Also, with your phone, turn the video on and do a quick home inventory. This helps you figure out what really needs to be replaced and have evidence to back it up.