TroubleshooterA few questions, then an urgency level and next steps
Is My Damage Covered? Homeowners Policy Checker
Sudden and accidental damage is usually covered; flood, earthquake, wear and slow leaks usually are not; sewer backup is often an add-on. Pick the cause and get the likely answer and the question to put to your insurer.
On this page
Is my damage covered by my homeowners policy?
Answer a few questions about what caused the damage. You get a likely answer and what to do next. Your policy and your state's rules decide the real answer, so treat this as a way to ask your insurer the right question.
What caused the damage?
Pick the closest match. If more than one cause was involved, run the questions once for each.
Something sudden and accidental: a burst pipe, a storm, hail, fire, smoke, theft or vandalism
Was the home empty or unoccupied for a long stretch before the damage?
Policies set their own number of days for a vacancy. Check yours.
No, someone was living there
Deal with it soon
Probably the kind of loss most policies cover
Most homeowners policies cover damage from fire and lightning, sudden and accidental water release or smoke, explosion, theft, vandalism and riot, and windstorm and hail. Hail and wind are sometimes excluded or carry a separate deductible in storm-prone areas, so your declarations page matters. Whether the claim is worth filing depends on your deductible and the size of the repair.
What to do
- If there is a gas smell, standing water near electrical equipment, or damage to the structure, deal with that first: leave, and call the gas company, an electrician or an inspector before anything else.
- Photograph everything before you clean up or repair, and keep receipts for temporary repairs.
- Find your deductible, and ask the insurer whether your policy pays replacement cost or actual cash value, since that changes the payment.
- Report the claim promptly. Some policies carry a one-year filing deadline.
- Make temporary repairs only, until the adjuster has inspected.
Yes, it had been vacant for a while
Deal with it soon
Vacancy can limit or end coverage
Many policies do not cover losses that happen while the home has been vacant for longer than the number of days the policy specifies. Whether your home counts as vacant, and for how long, is a question for your policy wording and your insurer.
What to do
- If there is a gas smell, standing water near electrical equipment, or damage to the structure, deal with that first: leave, and call the gas company, an electrician or an inspector before anything else.
- Find the vacancy clause in your policy and the number of days it names.
- Document the damage fully and report it anyway; let the insurer decide, and ask for any denial in writing.
- If it is denied, ask your state department of insurance whether the vacancy clause was applied correctly.
Flood water from outside, such as rising water or surface water
Deal with it soon
Flood is usually a separate policy
Most homeowners policies do not cover flooding from outside. Flood insurance is typically a separate policy, and most flood policies have a 30-day waiting period, so cover bought after the water arrives will not help.
What to do
- If there is a gas smell, standing water near electrical equipment, or damage to the structure, deal with that first: leave, and call the gas company, an electrician or an inspector before anything else.
- Check whether you hold a separate flood policy, and if you do, report the loss to that insurer.
- Document the damage and keep receipts. Some policies set a short deadline for proof of loss; North Dakota's guide gives 60 days for flood policies.
- Start drying within 24-48 hours, wearing proper protection, because floodwater can carry sewage.
- Ask your state department of insurance and your local emergency management office about other help.
A slow or continuous leak, or ordinary wear and tear
Deal with it soon
Slow leaks and wear are commonly excluded
Continuous water leaks and wear and tear are typically excluded from homeowners coverage, and mold removal is generally excluded unless it is needed to repair a covered loss. A sudden burst is different from a leak that has gone on for months, so how long the problem has been there matters, and so does what the insurer finds.
What to do
- If there is a gas smell, standing water near electrical equipment, or damage to the structure, deal with that first: leave, and call the gas company, an electrician or an inspector before anything else.
- Stop the water at its source and dry what you can. Mold control is moisture control, and cleaning alone lets mold come back.
- Photograph the damage and report it if you think the cause was sudden; do not guess at how long it has been going on.
- If it is denied, ask for the reason in writing and compare it with your policy wording.
- Budget for the repair yourself in case it is not covered.
A sewer or drain backing up into the house
Deal with it soon
Sewer and drain backup is often an optional add-on
Sewer or drain backup is commonly an optional endorsement, not part of the base policy. If you added it, the claim may be covered. If you did not, the base policy may not pay for it.
What to do
- If there is a gas smell, standing water near electrical equipment, or damage to the structure, deal with that first: leave, and call the gas company, an electrician or an inspector before anything else.
- Look for a sewer or drain backup endorsement on your declarations page, or ask your agent.
- Treat the water as contaminated: call a professional experienced with sewage-contaminated water damage.
- Photograph everything before cleanup and keep every receipt.
An earthquake or the ground moving
Deal with it soon
Earthquake and ground movement are usually excluded
Most homeowners policies do not cover earthquakes or earth movement unless you bought that coverage separately, and foundation or slab damage is commonly an optional add-on.
What to do
- If there is a gas smell, standing water near electrical equipment, or damage to the structure, deal with that first: leave, and call the gas company, an electrician or an inspector before anything else.
- Check for a separate earthquake policy or an endorsement for foundation or slab damage.
- Document the damage with photos and video, and ask your insurer in writing what applies.
- Wait for an inspector before going back into a damaged building.
What this checker is and is not
It is a way to turn a vague worry into a specific question. It is not a coverage decision. Only your policy, read with your state's rules, decides whether a loss is covered, and only your insurer, or a regulator or court if you dispute it, can make that call. The checker simply reflects how most homeowners policies are described in public consumer guides.
The main source is the Texas Department of Insurance home insurance guide. The department publishes a plain list of what a typical policy covers and what it leaves out. The checker also draws on the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, which says most homeowners policies do not cover floods and earthquakes unless you bought that coverage separately, and on California's residential claims guide for what to do when you disagree with an offer.
The logic behind each answer
Most policies cover fire and lightning, sudden and accidental water release or smoke, explosion, theft, vandalism, and windstorm and hail. The word that matters is sudden. A pipe that bursts on a cold night is a different event from a joint that has seeped for a long time, and the guides treat them differently.
Flood from outside is a separate matter. The Texas guide says flood insurance is typically a separate policy and that most flood policies carry a 30-day waiting period. In practice that means a flood policy bought after a storm warning will not help with that storm.
Wear and tear, continuous leaks, termites and similar pests, and earth movement are commonly excluded. Mold removal is generally excluded unless it is needed to repair a loss the policy covers. Sewer or drain backup, foundation or slab damage, and mold removal are each described as optional endorsements, which is why the checker asks you to look for them on your declarations page instead of assuming.
Vacancy is the clause people forget. Many policies stop covering certain losses once a home has been empty for longer than a number of days set in the policy. If the home was lived in, the checker moves straight to the likely-covered answer; if it was not, it sends you to the policy wording.
Worked example: a ceiling that came down after a storm
Suppose a storm drives rain through a damaged roof and the bedroom ceiling falls. You choose the sudden-and-accidental answer, say the home was lived in, and land on the likely-covered result. The next steps are not a promise of payment. They are the actions that protect a claim: photograph everything first, make only temporary repairs, find your deductible, and ask whether you have replacement cost or actual cash value, since that changes how much you are paid. Then report the claim promptly, because some policies carry a short filing deadline.
Now change one answer. Suppose instead the ceiling stain has been growing for a long time because of a slow roof leak. The checker moves you to the wear-and-continuous-leak answer, which tells you to expect an argument about how long the problem has been there, and to budget for the repair in case the claim is denied.
If the answer is no, or if you disagree
A denial is not always the end. Ask for the reason in writing and compare it to your policy. If you disagree, the California guide lists the options: talk to the insurer's claims manager, contact your state department of insurance, or consult an attorney. The letter on this site, the claim dispute and supplement letter, puts your request in writing. For how the choices compare, see public adjuster, appraisal or attorney.
Limits
This checker uses one state's guide as its main reference and others to confirm the pattern. Rules on deadlines, notice and exclusions vary by state, by insurer and by policy form. Treat every answer as a starting question.
Sources
- Texas Department of Insurance, Home insurance guide tdi.texas.gov
- NAIC, Help for navigating natural disasters content.naic.org
- California Department of Insurance, Residential Property Claims Guide (April 2023) insurance.ca.gov
- North Dakota Insurance Department, How to submit a claim insurance.nd.gov