Will homeowners insurance pay for a water leak?
Short answer. Homeowners insurance usually pays for damage from a sudden water leak, like a burst supply line, a failed water heater or rain through a storm-damaged roof, but not for the worn out part that leaked or for slow leaks that went on for weeks. Flooding from outside needs a separate flood policy.
Leak by leak
- Roof leak after hail, wind or a falling limb: the roof repair and the interior damage are usually covered.
- Roof leak from age or a cracked pipe boot: the roof repair is not covered; sudden interior damage may be, depending on the policy.
- Burst supply line or pipe: the water damage is usually covered; the pipe itself often is not.
- Water heater rupture: the damage is usually covered; the water heater is not.
- Washing machine or dishwasher hose: sudden failures are usually covered.
- Air conditioning condensate overflow: common in Georgia, where air handlers sit in attics. A sudden overflow is often covered; a pan that dripped for months is not.
- Slab or foundation leak: the water damage may be covered, and many policies pay to tear out and replace the part of the floor or wall needed to reach the pipe.
The slow leak exclusion
Almost every homeowners policy excludes constant or repeated seepage or leakage over weeks, months or years. Rot, warped subfloors and mold that grew from a slow drip are maintenance problems in the insurer's eyes. That is why a prompt report helps: the closer the claim is to the moment the leak started, the easier it is to show it was sudden.
The first day
- Shut off the water main or catch the roof drip.
- Photograph the damage and, if you can, the source.
- Call a water mitigation company for drying if materials are soaked.
- Report the claim and keep every receipt.
- Do not throw away the failed part or damaged materials until the adjuster says so.
If the source is the roof, see interior water damage from a roof leak and your duty to stop further damage.