Types of Water Damage Coverages Under Texas Home Insurance Policies

Texas · Water has four different doors

A pipe that bursts, rain through a wind opening, a backed-up drain, and flood are not the same coverage. Mold is paid only as part of a covered repair. This page will not invent a mold dollar cap.

On an HO-3, a sudden discharge from a plumbing or appliance system can cover the resulting damage. The worn-out part often is not covered. Continuous seepage is commonly excluded. If wind or hail opens the house and rain comes through that opening, the claim is the wind peril. Water that runs in over the ground, including storm surge, is flood. Flood is excluded on the homeowners form whether or not you are in a mapped zone. TDI has noted that in Hurricane Harvey, more than half of the flooded homes were outside high-risk zones. Sewer or drain backup is a sublimit endorsement. It is not the dwelling limit, and it is not flood.

Mold follows the covered water. It is not its own peril. If the water loss is covered, mold that is part of that repair may be covered, often only up to a limit printed in the form. Do not assume a statewide dollar amount. Earth movement and settling are usually excluded, so a foundation that shifts is not automatically a water claim. A second home can often buy an NFIP policy. Building replacement cost on that policy is generally for a principal residence, so a second home is often actual cash value, and there is generally about a 30-day wait. A home warranty does not replace any of these forms.

Which form you have: policy types and HO-3 and HO-2. The excluded water: Texas flood and second homes. Why a crack is not automatically covered: foundation damage. The hub: Texas homeowners.

Name the source of the water before you assume the dwelling limit applies. Ask an agent or get a home quote.