Insurance Coverage for Mold

3/29/2018 (Permalink)

Mold damage in Brooklyn, NY

The best way to protect your home from mold is to prevent fungus growth from occurring in the first place. That means keeping your home in good repair, maintaining proper ventilation and keeping indoor humidity under 60 percent. Unfortunately, mold may become an issue anyway, and if it does, you’ll need to pay a professional mold remediation service in Brooklyn, NY, to take care of it. Will your homeowners insurance cover it? The answer is: it depends.

As a rule, insurance policies exclude mold damage that results from:

• Structural leaks
• High humidity
• Poor drainage
• Water seepage
• Flooding

This covers nearly all of the most common causes of mold damage, so if you’re already dealing with a mold issue, your chances of being covered are low.

What Is Covered

Exactly what is covered will vary depending on your personal insurance policy. Many policies will cover damage resulting from a burst water pipe or a backed-up sewer, including fungus growth, but these may be the only instances in which you will be covered.

It’s also important to check your policy regularly to see if coverage has changed, as many companies are reducing their coverage for mold damage. They may put a cap on how much coverage you can receive for mold damage, which can be problematic if the mold growth is extensive. Some insurance companies explicitly deny coverage for mold no matter what the cause or may require that you pay extra for mold coverage.

What You Can Do

First, read your policy so you understand what is and is not covered by your policy. Talk to a public insurance adjuster or a mold cleanup representative about your situation to learn more about your options for getting coverage and filing a claim. If you live in Brooklyn, NY, where fungus growth is a common issue, it could be worthwhile to pay extra for mold insurance.

Visit us at http://www.SERVPROnorthwestbrooklyn.com for more information.