Your laundry room, basement, and roof are almost as likely to have water damage and leaks as your bathrooms and your kitchen are. So, what can you do about it?
Check your washing machine hoses often for moisture around the ends of the hose and signs of cracking or weak spots. The hose should be replaced as often as is necessary, but this shouldn’t be more than every three to five years.
The water heater in your home can pose problems, as well. If there are areas of rust on the tank or wet areas in the floor nearby, you might have a leak on your hands. Hot water heaters should be located in the lowest level of your home possible, preferably the basement, and always next to a floor drain. If it has to be installed on upper floors, it should be installed inside a large drain pan and the water directed to a drain in the floor. This way, if it begins leaking, it won’t damage your floors or any area of your home on the next floor down.
Your air conditioner collects condensation and each one should have a drain pan line to direct the water collected by your air conditioner.
Outside your home, any low spots around your house’s foundation should be filled in so that water drains away from the house and not toward it and end up seeping in through any flaws in the structure. Caulking around windows and doors should be inspected; if it is cracked or missing anywhere, it’s best to remove it and completely re-caulk it.
The area round your roof should be draining properly and if it’s not, water seeps into the wood and causes it to rot. A leaky roof can be a definite cause of water damage and is another thing that is not uncommon. Keep your gutters and downspouts free from leaves and other debris that can prevent the water from leaving the roof efficiently. Don’t walk on your roof unless you have to for repairs and it could be wise to invest in a roof preservative to help limit the amount of water your roof sponges up. Wood soaks up water pretty easily and if you want to prevent water damage to your home, it’s a good idea to get a sealant for wooden areas of your home that are exposed to the elements.
Showing posts with label insurance. Show all posts
Showing posts with label insurance. Show all posts
Friday, January 18, 2008
Water Damage and Your Homeowner’s Insurance
Not surprisingly, water damage is one of the most frequent causes of home insurance claims. Not many people like having to discover what is and what isn’t covered by their home insurance policy, but that’s often the way that it goes. A pipe bursts in the basement or an appliance such as a clothes washer or dishwasher begins to leak all over the floor while you’re gone on vacation and all of a sudden you find yourself wondering if you’re covered.
For example, if a pipe were to burst in the home due to a drop in temperature and you had left the home vacant and without the heat necessary to keep the pipes from bursting, you might not be covered. They could possibly deny you due to the fact that you did not take the necessary action that would have prevented the event.
If your bathtub overflows, you should be covered, even if it’s just because you were on the phone or tending to another matter in the house and simply forgot to turn off the water.
In most cases if a major household appliance such as a washer or a dishwasher suddenly malfunctions and water spews all over the floor and causes damage, you are covered by your homeowner’s insurance. You’ll have to pay for the cost of fixing the washing machine or dishwasher yourself, but any damage caused by the water itself should be paid for by your policy.
If the cause of the damage is heavy rain and the water leaks through the roof or floods into the basement and the house itself and items inside it are damaged, you should be covered for the cost of the water damage to the interior of your home. The damage to the belongings inside your home is probably not covered, however; if the roof leak was caused by a tree limb falling on the house, then the damage to your furniture, roof, and interior should be covered to a reasonable extent.
One of the major causes of water damage to homes, however, is usually not covered. This is a flood. Unless you have an insurance policy that specifically identifies a flood as a source of damage to the home, you aren’t covered. Flood insurance needs to be purchased from the federal government and your local community should be able to give you information as to whether or not they participate in the National Flood Insurance Program.
For example, if a pipe were to burst in the home due to a drop in temperature and you had left the home vacant and without the heat necessary to keep the pipes from bursting, you might not be covered. They could possibly deny you due to the fact that you did not take the necessary action that would have prevented the event.
If your bathtub overflows, you should be covered, even if it’s just because you were on the phone or tending to another matter in the house and simply forgot to turn off the water.
In most cases if a major household appliance such as a washer or a dishwasher suddenly malfunctions and water spews all over the floor and causes damage, you are covered by your homeowner’s insurance. You’ll have to pay for the cost of fixing the washing machine or dishwasher yourself, but any damage caused by the water itself should be paid for by your policy.
If the cause of the damage is heavy rain and the water leaks through the roof or floods into the basement and the house itself and items inside it are damaged, you should be covered for the cost of the water damage to the interior of your home. The damage to the belongings inside your home is probably not covered, however; if the roof leak was caused by a tree limb falling on the house, then the damage to your furniture, roof, and interior should be covered to a reasonable extent.
One of the major causes of water damage to homes, however, is usually not covered. This is a flood. Unless you have an insurance policy that specifically identifies a flood as a source of damage to the home, you aren’t covered. Flood insurance needs to be purchased from the federal government and your local community should be able to give you information as to whether or not they participate in the National Flood Insurance Program.
Mold in Your Apartment - Who is Liable?
If you move into an apartment or a home and you sign a lease, some people might think that they’re stuck with that lease even if they discover that the property has a substantial mold problem. This is not true.
No matter who you’re renting from or what kind of property, it is the landlord’s responsibility to provide you with a healthy place to live. If you or your children become sick due to the mold located in the home, apartment, or business you are leasing, your landlord can be held responsible.
The only thing that you have to do first is prove that mold exists in your rented space. That burden or proof is on you because in most leases, mold testing, inspections, and removal are not covered by the landlord. Landlords do not pay for these; you do. If there is a problem, you have to prove it.
If the rental property is infested with mold, the landlord might be liable for the damage to the tenant’s health, the medical bills associated with mold, loss of income due to sickness, and for the damage to clothing and other possessions. Other possible liabilities include the expense it takes to move to a mold-free environment, the difference between the rent at the mold-infested rental and the new, habitable rental, and for any mold inspections, testing, and remediation of the rental that were paid for by the tenant before moving out.
You should mail a notice to your landlord via certified mail that there is a mold problem first and foremost and provide proof within the envelope. An analysis and identification of the mold sample you collected using a mold test kit signed by a mold laboratory is a good way to prove that mold exists in the property. Even better than this is to have a written report signed by a certified mold inspector along with the above mentioned laboratory report. If notice is ignored by your landlord, you can choose to send a second notice stating that due to the failure to have the mold removed from the property, you are withholding your rent. Lastly, if that is ignored by your landlord, you should send another notice via certified mail that you are vacating the premises and that legal action is going to be taken, especially if you have suffered health complications due to the mold. You shouldn’t need a lawyer to draw up these notices for you, as long as you are clear and to the point that mold exists on the landlord’s property that you are renting and you want it removed and if you are suffering any health complications, these should be stated very clearly and with proof, as well. Most landlords will respond promptly.
No matter who you’re renting from or what kind of property, it is the landlord’s responsibility to provide you with a healthy place to live. If you or your children become sick due to the mold located in the home, apartment, or business you are leasing, your landlord can be held responsible.
The only thing that you have to do first is prove that mold exists in your rented space. That burden or proof is on you because in most leases, mold testing, inspections, and removal are not covered by the landlord. Landlords do not pay for these; you do. If there is a problem, you have to prove it.
If the rental property is infested with mold, the landlord might be liable for the damage to the tenant’s health, the medical bills associated with mold, loss of income due to sickness, and for the damage to clothing and other possessions. Other possible liabilities include the expense it takes to move to a mold-free environment, the difference between the rent at the mold-infested rental and the new, habitable rental, and for any mold inspections, testing, and remediation of the rental that were paid for by the tenant before moving out.
You should mail a notice to your landlord via certified mail that there is a mold problem first and foremost and provide proof within the envelope. An analysis and identification of the mold sample you collected using a mold test kit signed by a mold laboratory is a good way to prove that mold exists in the property. Even better than this is to have a written report signed by a certified mold inspector along with the above mentioned laboratory report. If notice is ignored by your landlord, you can choose to send a second notice stating that due to the failure to have the mold removed from the property, you are withholding your rent. Lastly, if that is ignored by your landlord, you should send another notice via certified mail that you are vacating the premises and that legal action is going to be taken, especially if you have suffered health complications due to the mold. You shouldn’t need a lawyer to draw up these notices for you, as long as you are clear and to the point that mold exists on the landlord’s property that you are renting and you want it removed and if you are suffering any health complications, these should be stated very clearly and with proof, as well. Most landlords will respond promptly.
Mold and Your Insurance
Under most home insurance policies, mold is one of the few things (along with rust, rot, and fungi) that are generally uncovered unless it is the result of something that is covered by the home’s insurance policy, such as flood damage and the water caused by a burst pipe. However, mold that has been caused by leaks, condensation, or flooding (in the case where the homeowner does not have flood insurance) is not covered.
Even though mold has been around for thousands of years and will continue to be for thousands more, the amount of mold claims that have been submitted to insurance companies have increased significantly. Insurers are beginning to insert some language into their policies that is very specific as to what is covered and what is not. Some companies may soon decide to offer to cover damages caused by mold and will raise the price of the policy and others may choose to continue to completely exclude mold from the homeowner’s insurance policy. In order to guard against the failings of your homeowner’s insurance, removing mold and preventing it from returning is essential if you wish to retain the value of your home and your health.
Anyone who owns or rents property should be aware that mold should be cleaned up as soon as it is discovered and that mold cannot grow without a decent access to moisture. Repairing water damage, the cause of excess humidity, and other leaks should be done immediately in order to minimize the amount of mold that will grow in that area of the property. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) recommends that people take measures to safeguard not only their properties, but also their health by making swift work of the mold growing where they live and/or work and taking appropriate measures to make sure it does not return.
Your home should not be completely air tight and a home that is cannot breathe. Homes that air cannot flow freely through are breeding grounds for mold because the air is allowed to become stagnant. You should have vents installed in the bathrooms, laundry room, and kitchen in your home.
Wood and other cellulose-based debris should not be placed in any crawl spaces or against the side of the home because mold eats these and any other organic-based material.
Carpet shouldn’t be installed anywhere in the home where moisture should be a problem such as the bathroom where toilets or bath tubs can overflow or in the laundry room where the washer could leak out into the floor.
Even though mold has been around for thousands of years and will continue to be for thousands more, the amount of mold claims that have been submitted to insurance companies have increased significantly. Insurers are beginning to insert some language into their policies that is very specific as to what is covered and what is not. Some companies may soon decide to offer to cover damages caused by mold and will raise the price of the policy and others may choose to continue to completely exclude mold from the homeowner’s insurance policy. In order to guard against the failings of your homeowner’s insurance, removing mold and preventing it from returning is essential if you wish to retain the value of your home and your health.
Anyone who owns or rents property should be aware that mold should be cleaned up as soon as it is discovered and that mold cannot grow without a decent access to moisture. Repairing water damage, the cause of excess humidity, and other leaks should be done immediately in order to minimize the amount of mold that will grow in that area of the property. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) recommends that people take measures to safeguard not only their properties, but also their health by making swift work of the mold growing where they live and/or work and taking appropriate measures to make sure it does not return.
Your home should not be completely air tight and a home that is cannot breathe. Homes that air cannot flow freely through are breeding grounds for mold because the air is allowed to become stagnant. You should have vents installed in the bathrooms, laundry room, and kitchen in your home.
Wood and other cellulose-based debris should not be placed in any crawl spaces or against the side of the home because mold eats these and any other organic-based material.
Carpet shouldn’t be installed anywhere in the home where moisture should be a problem such as the bathroom where toilets or bath tubs can overflow or in the laundry room where the washer could leak out into the floor.
Mold and Selling Real Estate
Selling a house contaminated with mold isn’t a pleasant thing to have to deal with. There are a few things that you can do, however, to make the selling of your mold-contaminated home as painless as possible.
Any real estate sales contract should have in it an environmental inspection clause that allows for a 2 week to a 3 week inspection period so the buyer can have a professional mold inspector view the property and test it for mold or any other kind of natural hazards that might occur in the home. If it’s obvious that mold exists in the home, the only testing you should need is to determine whether the mold is toxic or not. Even if the mold isn’t a hazard to your health, it could be a hazard to the home’s structural integrity. If you can have the mold removed from the home before you sell it, this is the best thing to do. Selling the home will be easier if the mold is already gone, although you can leave this up to the buyer if you want to sell the home for a little less.
The owner of a property being sold shouldn’t make any attempt to hide mold if the problem is known about. If the buyer of the home suspects that you were trying to hide the problem, they may back away from the house completely. After all, if you would deceive them about the mold, what else could you be deceiving them about?
You should have in writing what you have done to try and correct any problems with mold or other environmental hazards. Any past water or mold damage should be disclosed also in this writing and it should be added to the sales contract so the buyer of the home legally knows about it. In addition to this, the seller should include in the contract that the home is being sold as-is and that there is no kind of warranty on the property for any environmental reasons.
Lastly, you should ask for a clause that releases not only you, but the lender, and the real estate agent from any and all liability related to mold to the buyer. As long as the information that you have given in your report about the past water and mold damage to the home and what you have done to remove it is complete and accurate to the best of your knowledge, you should be on solid legal ground should any problems with the buyer arise later.
Any real estate sales contract should have in it an environmental inspection clause that allows for a 2 week to a 3 week inspection period so the buyer can have a professional mold inspector view the property and test it for mold or any other kind of natural hazards that might occur in the home. If it’s obvious that mold exists in the home, the only testing you should need is to determine whether the mold is toxic or not. Even if the mold isn’t a hazard to your health, it could be a hazard to the home’s structural integrity. If you can have the mold removed from the home before you sell it, this is the best thing to do. Selling the home will be easier if the mold is already gone, although you can leave this up to the buyer if you want to sell the home for a little less.
The owner of a property being sold shouldn’t make any attempt to hide mold if the problem is known about. If the buyer of the home suspects that you were trying to hide the problem, they may back away from the house completely. After all, if you would deceive them about the mold, what else could you be deceiving them about?
You should have in writing what you have done to try and correct any problems with mold or other environmental hazards. Any past water or mold damage should be disclosed also in this writing and it should be added to the sales contract so the buyer of the home legally knows about it. In addition to this, the seller should include in the contract that the home is being sold as-is and that there is no kind of warranty on the property for any environmental reasons.
Lastly, you should ask for a clause that releases not only you, but the lender, and the real estate agent from any and all liability related to mold to the buyer. As long as the information that you have given in your report about the past water and mold damage to the home and what you have done to remove it is complete and accurate to the best of your knowledge, you should be on solid legal ground should any problems with the buyer arise later.
Mold and Our Pets
Most of us who have pets aren’t really aware that mold is just as dangerous to them as it is to us. In fact, pets, especially young ones and birds, are more susceptible to the affects of mold than human beings are. They are in the category of the first to suffer from the health complications associated with mold and some have even died while living in mold infested homes. Infants, pets, the elderly, and people with weakened immune systems are the most threatened when it comes to most environment-related health risks. One kind of mold in particular is more dangerous to our pets than others are and that is blastomycoses.
Blastomycoses is also a dangerous kind of mold that has been known to cause pneumonia, skin, and other respiratory infections in our pets. Other organs can be infected and it’s no surprise that these symptoms and complications can also occur in human beings. Much like the canaries in mines that were used long ago to detect poisonous gases, pets are often the ones to warn us that there is a problem in our home. While blastomycoses is a natural part of our every day environments, excessive amounts of it can be extremely harmful. It takes the form of a mold in an indoor or outdoor environment, but when it comes into contact with human beings or animals, it becomes a yeast. Once it has taken on the form of yeast, it is no longer contagious. The animal (or human) can only contract blastomycoses by inhaling the mold spores or by allowing them to enter the body through a cut or sore on the skin.
Unfortunately, pneumonia is the most common form of blastomycoses symptoms in pets and can lead to eventual death if it isn’t untreated. Dogs often cough, become tired or lazy in appearance, have trouble breathing, and cease eating. Skin infections often are wet and itchy and can damage muscle and bone structure if something is not done about them.
Blastomycoses can be dealt with using antifungal medications and a full recovery can be made in up to six months, although a blasto infection is often misdiagnosed and by the time it is diagnosed correctly, it is often too late.
The dogs most affected by blasto are larger, male, young dogs, and any breed that spends a lot of time outdoors, even though blastomycoses is a mold that can grow indoors.
Blastomycoses is also a dangerous kind of mold that has been known to cause pneumonia, skin, and other respiratory infections in our pets. Other organs can be infected and it’s no surprise that these symptoms and complications can also occur in human beings. Much like the canaries in mines that were used long ago to detect poisonous gases, pets are often the ones to warn us that there is a problem in our home. While blastomycoses is a natural part of our every day environments, excessive amounts of it can be extremely harmful. It takes the form of a mold in an indoor or outdoor environment, but when it comes into contact with human beings or animals, it becomes a yeast. Once it has taken on the form of yeast, it is no longer contagious. The animal (or human) can only contract blastomycoses by inhaling the mold spores or by allowing them to enter the body through a cut or sore on the skin.
Unfortunately, pneumonia is the most common form of blastomycoses symptoms in pets and can lead to eventual death if it isn’t untreated. Dogs often cough, become tired or lazy in appearance, have trouble breathing, and cease eating. Skin infections often are wet and itchy and can damage muscle and bone structure if something is not done about them.
Blastomycoses can be dealt with using antifungal medications and a full recovery can be made in up to six months, although a blasto infection is often misdiagnosed and by the time it is diagnosed correctly, it is often too late.
The dogs most affected by blasto are larger, male, young dogs, and any breed that spends a lot of time outdoors, even though blastomycoses is a mold that can grow indoors.
Filing Your Flood Damage Insurance Claim
A flood can be a homeowner’s worst nightmare, especially if it engulfs almost the entire house like many of the homes that were made uninhabitable by Hurricane Katrina a few years ago. In case you ever have to face this catastrophe, here are a few tips on how to deal with it and file the insurance claim. Depending on the amount of water damage to your home, it may be salvageable and it may not, but the first step is getting your claim filed.
The first thing you should do after the water has been cleared from your home, call your insurance agent or company as soon as you can. If you can, have your name, policy number, and a phone number or e-mail address that you can be reached at handy when you call. This will speed up the process more than you think.
When you’re filing your claim, request a time frame for when your adjuster will be sent to your home. Try to be patient, especially if you live in an area that has withstood extensive damage due to a river flowing over its banks or a dam that has burst. The water damage to your home depends upon just how high the water rose in and around it.
Once the adjuster has become available and is able to reach you and your home, he or she will help you determine just how much they are willing and able to compensate you for the loss of your property and help determine just how extensive the water damage is.
If your contact information changes in any way, let your insurance adjuster know as soon as possible. If you’re in a shelter of some kind or staying with a relative or friend, give your adjuster the name of someone who has the ability to reach you. If you can’t get home, it’s best to make a list of as many items as you can think of that may need to be replaced or repaired in your home. Computers, television sets, clothing, expensive electronic equipment, books, and etcetera should be listed here. List anything of value that could have been water damaged or lost.
If you can return home, you should separate the damaged items from the undamaged items and take pictures of your property to give the adjuster a good idea of the kind of loss you have endured.
Even if this event has never happened to you or if you’re not expecting any water damage like this to your home any time soon (and who really is), one of the best things that you can do for your home is to take a video every year of your home and its contents. Put this video in a waterproof (and fireproof) safe in case the unthinkable ever happens.
The first thing you should do after the water has been cleared from your home, call your insurance agent or company as soon as you can. If you can, have your name, policy number, and a phone number or e-mail address that you can be reached at handy when you call. This will speed up the process more than you think.
When you’re filing your claim, request a time frame for when your adjuster will be sent to your home. Try to be patient, especially if you live in an area that has withstood extensive damage due to a river flowing over its banks or a dam that has burst. The water damage to your home depends upon just how high the water rose in and around it.
Once the adjuster has become available and is able to reach you and your home, he or she will help you determine just how much they are willing and able to compensate you for the loss of your property and help determine just how extensive the water damage is.
If your contact information changes in any way, let your insurance adjuster know as soon as possible. If you’re in a shelter of some kind or staying with a relative or friend, give your adjuster the name of someone who has the ability to reach you. If you can’t get home, it’s best to make a list of as many items as you can think of that may need to be replaced or repaired in your home. Computers, television sets, clothing, expensive electronic equipment, books, and etcetera should be listed here. List anything of value that could have been water damaged or lost.
If you can return home, you should separate the damaged items from the undamaged items and take pictures of your property to give the adjuster a good idea of the kind of loss you have endured.
Even if this event has never happened to you or if you’re not expecting any water damage like this to your home any time soon (and who really is), one of the best things that you can do for your home is to take a video every year of your home and its contents. Put this video in a waterproof (and fireproof) safe in case the unthinkable ever happens.
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