Does my homeowner insurance policy cover floods?

With the floods that recently hit Arizona, it is a good time to discuss homeowners insurance and what sort of water damage is covered.

If you assume that your policy will cover you if your house suffers flood damage, you had better double-check. Most policies do not include coverage for flooding.

Instead, homeowners generally must purchase separate flood insurance. This is required in some parts of the country where there is a high risk of floods occurring. Risk factors can include weather patterns, proximity to bodies of water and so on.

Obviously, flooding is rare in Arizona. Still, winters like this one prove that the unexpected does sometimes happen.

When an insurance company denies a client’s claim, it may be for legitimate reasons, such as when the claimed damage falls outside the terms of the policy. Unfortunately, not every denial or lowball settlement offer is based on an honest appraisal. Insurance companies regularly use bad-faith tactics to attempt to deceive customers into losing their rights under the terms of their insurance policies.

Dealing with a dishonest insurance company on your own is very difficult and it is unlikely you will get the money you deserve. Instead, a bad faith insurance attorney who knows how the process of challenging a claim works is better equipped to defend your rights and fight for the money you deserve.

Even if you are not sure if you have been the victim of insurance bad faith, a conversation with a lawyer can help you understand your options.