Q: I just came home from vacation to find my basement flooded with a couple inches of water. During the downpour over the weekend the gutters (that haven’t been cleaned) poured over, filled up 10″ (and not the good kind ) up the egress windows, and ran into the basement. Is that covered under my homeowners insurance?

A: Unfortunately, rain water coming into your house from the outside is considered flood and therefore is not covered under most homeowners policies. Had this been a sudden pipe bursting within the house it would have been a different story. While frustrating, the client understood. They were able to dry the carpet using dehumidifiers and fans and that was the extent of the damage.

Tips:
- Clean gutters regularly to prevent water overflow that can leave standing water up against your home
- When leaving town, have a friend/neighbor check on your house (in its entirety) 1-2x per day. This person had a friend watching their home, but they did not go through the entire house; therefore they did not notice the flooding downstairs.
*Also make sure the person watching your home has the contact info for your agent and the claims department. Had this been a covered claim, the friend could have let us into the house to prevent further damage and start cleanup without interrupting the homeowners vacation.

I.M. (instant message) the Insurance Master is an interactive column so please leave your insurance questions in the comments and I will respond either with a posting, or directly to you.

Corey Kaster is an award-winning Farmers Insurance agent in the Portland Oregon area, specializing in homeowners, auto, business and life insurance. Corey is vice president of the Portland Area Business Association, Portland’s GLBT Chamber of Commerce, where he is affectionately known as “Corey Kaster, Your Insurance Master.” Corey can be reached through comments here or via his website: CoreyKaster.com.

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