To call the insurance company or not to call?

[KapitanSparrow]

I need the Bogley council of wise men (and women) to help me with a question. A friend of mine tried watering her tomato plants yesterday and flooded her basement. Turns out one of the pipes exploded during winter time and water went between the walls, ruining the basment, wood floors, walls, pretty much everything.

Would something like this be covered by insurance and is it worth contacting the insurance company? She's affraid they will dole out $2,000 but raise her premiums double that amount. Any advise or opinion on how to handle it will be appreciated.

[Jaxx]

I would call. Most insurance companies don't raise your rates on Homeowners policies like they do with auto policies. If she doesn't get that fixed and/or dried out she will be dealing with mold later on. DO IT!

[devo_stevo]

I would call. Most insurance companies don't raise your rates on Homeowners policies like they do with auto policies. If she doesn't get that fixed and/or dried out she will be dealing with mold later on. DO IT!

x2

Her insurance rates may go up a bit, but if she doesn't take care of that, she'll have a much bigger problem very soon.

[KapitanSparrow]

Thanks guys. I will let them know. And yhey are taking care of it, that's not the issue. The issue is whether it's better to shell out your own cash and keep current premiums or get the insurance company involved and then bitch about high premiums.

[JP]

Call, that should be covered.

[Cirrus2000]

Ditto: I had a claim for a flood, and no changes to my premiums. Of course, that was 18 years ago, and I live in a socialist country...

Seriously - it's worth the claim.

[CrazyFinn]

Yea, don't let this go. It can be a real headache if it stands. Dry it all out and find out why the pipe froze (besids cold weather).

[snccoulter]

Call the insurance we had a water issue summer time last year in Tucson and it was a bit more than 2000. we had a couple of inches and it ended costing about 8000 to replace the stuff. we had to go up about 2 feet of dry wall all around the affected area the carpet and repaint everything repair/replace furniature that ended up being destroyed. no insurance rate hike

[Scott Card]

Call. I am pretty sure this sort of thing is covered. You (friend) bought it, use it.

[DaveOU812]

I'm gonna say call.....just cause thats what everyone else has said. Jumpin on the bandwagon.

[denaliguide]

one time when my son was 3, he dragged the hose into the house and stuck it in the wood burnng stove. when my wife came in the living room was flooded. made the claim and insurance covered the new carpet and pad.

tell her to make the call.

[bbennett]

One more for the call. I ha a leak in my roof this winter due to an ice damn build up. After all was said and done, I got my roof fixed, most of my walls painted, new carpet, and my wood floors sanded and re-stained. All for the value price of $500. My premium didn't go up either. I almost wished that I had another claim in the kitchen so that I could get it redone too.
My house looks so much better now. She'll be surprised how much the insurance will cover. Tell her to make the call. She won't be sorry.

[Ih8grvty]

A bit late, but I have not been around before to read and reply.
CALL
thats what its for!
My brother had this happen to him last spring, total damage was over 10 grand, carpet and pad was bad, several walls had to be rebuilt, a few had holes cut in the bottom and top and had a fan stuck in them to dry it out, tripped out alot of electrical stuff...after it had blown and made some nice big black marks in duplex outlets and destroyed the cieling. He had me take a look at it to see if it was something I could fix for him, it took less than 30 seconds of walking into the basement to tell him now way in hell, call the insurance company, get it done right.
now I could of done it and done it right, but even if I did not charge him any labor, just material alone would of been a fortune, why fight it when ya got the insurance to cover it?
I do not know if his rates went up, Ill ask him when I see him next, but even if they did go up a bit, they also go down after some time of not having a claim, and what they might be raised...far less total than the material or labor to clean it up right and fix the problems it created. Clean up alone was a few grand for his case.