Floods, cyclones and more floods. We were lucky in Sydney to escape all of it. We could also count ourselves lucky to be given the opportunity to check our insurance cover. TV Experts at the time were saying ‘ check the fine print’. Well, yes thanks for the advice but the problem is, how do you know what to look for? Flood cover is now on everyone’s radar. But what else?
Here are some common repair scenarios from our perspective, that is, the perspective of a Sydney plumber that repairs and solves the following types of issues: plumbing and blocked drains. Many policies will pay for the damage to your property when a disaster of one kind or another occurs. That’s just one half of the story! You are looking for insurance policies that go the extra mile by covering search, detection, repair AND clean up.
Here are some common residential disasters. Read over these, then check your insurance policy to see whether you are covered in full or only in part.
The floods from within..
Burst or leaking pipes
Happen more often than you might think! Leaks in water pipes can damage ceilings, walls, timber floors and carpets. Sometimes the first clue is a water stain or mould on the wall or ceiling. Your plumber will test the pipes, search for the leak and detect it. Then after repairing the pipe, there will be damage to walls or other parts of your home to rectify. You are looking for insurance that covers: leak detection, pipe repair, rectification of damage to surrounding structures (walls, floors, ceilings, stud work.)
Blocked drain or choked sewer or a backed up toilet
Yuck (best to not put in a picture). Some of our poor customers have had sewer on the front lawn, in the garden or worse, on the floor in their house. In this instance, your plumber would clean/clear your drains, inspect them with a camera to look for the problem and possibly have to dig up and replace (or re-line) your sewer. You need to make sure that you’re covered if your beautiful deck, gorgeous garden or your paved area had to be ripped up. Believe me, when I say, we have seen it all.
Leaking hot water tanks:
You’re unlikely to find an insurance policy that will cover the repair or replacement of a leaking tank as well as any damage to the surrounding areas (if you do, let us know) This is another common disaster so check your policy for how much of this repair and clean up is covered.
Reading the fine print is not a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon but if you find a company that will pay for your repairs rather than it coming out of your pocket, it’s well worth the effort! If you have found a great insurance policy that covers a lot of the above, please leave a comment….