Water damage insurance claims in Denton County

Who decides whether my water damage is covered?

Your insurer decides, under the terms of your own policy. A contractor, a plumber, a restoration company and this website cannot tell you in advance whether a claim will be paid. The people who can read your policy for you are your agent and your insurer, and the Texas Department of Insurance helps with claim questions.

Every homeowners policy is a contract with its own definitions, exclusions, limits and endorsements. Two neighbors on the same street can hold policies that treat the same leak differently. That is why general guides, including this one, stop where your policy begins.

The honest summary of what a restoration crew can do is limited. It can stop and dry the water, take moisture readings and photographs, and give you a list of the materials removed. It does not decide coverage, negotiate for you or promise a result, and it should not tell you what your insurer will do.

The best time to read your policy is before a loss. Find the section on water, look for the words sudden, accidental, seepage, flood and backup, and write down anything you do not understand to ask your agent.

What is the difference between sudden and accidental damage and long-term leaking?

Many homeowners policies cover water damage that is sudden and accidental, such as a burst pipe or a failed hose, and exclude damage from leaks that go on for a long time. The exact words differ between policies, so read the water section of your own policy and ask your agent where the line falls.

A burst supply line that floods a room in an afternoon is the textbook sudden event. A pinhole that has weeped into a wall for months is the textbook long-term leak. Many real losses fall somewhere in between, and that is where reading the policy language matters.

This is also why speed matters for another reason. Finding a leak early, stopping it and drying the area documents that the problem was found and addressed. Moisture readings and dated photographs show what you saw and when.

Do not assume, in either direction. A policy that sounds generous on paper may have limits, and one that sounds strict may have exceptions. The only reliable answer comes from your insurer about your claim.

Is flood damage covered by a homeowners policy?

Check whether your homeowners policy excludes flood, meaning surface water such as an overflowing lake, creek or storm drain. Flood coverage is typically a separate policy, sold through FEMA's National Flood Insurance Program or private insurers, and it generally has a waiting period, so it must be in place before the water arrives.

Lewisville Lake is a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reservoir on the Elm Fork of the Trinity River in Denton County. On Sunday, May 31, 2015, it reached a pool of record of 537.02 feet, above the 532-foot top of the spillway. Water flooded streets below the dam, though reporting says it did not enter structures.

That event is not a claim about your house. It is a reminder that lake, creek and storm-drain flooding is real in this area, and that the policy that responds is not the one that responds to a burst pipe. If your home is near the lake, the Elm Fork, Denton Creek or a low spot, ask your agent whether flood coverage makes sense.

FEMA's FloodSmart site explains the National Flood Insurance Program. Ask when a new policy takes effect, because policies generally do not start the day you buy them.

What about sewer and drain backup?

Sewer and drain backup may be excluded from your homeowners policy unless an endorsement is added. If a sewer line or floor drain pushes water into your house, the question for your agent is whether your policy has a backup endorsement, what its limit is and what it requires.

Backup is a different event from a burst pipe. The water comes from the sewer or a drain, it is contaminated, and it may show up after heavy rain or a blockage. It is treated as Category 3 water in restoration, which changes the cleanup. The sewage cleanup page covers that side of it.

Endorsements are add-ons, and not every policy has them. Ask your agent in plain terms: if a drain backs up, am I covered, up to how much and under what conditions.

How do slab leaks and foundation damage fit in?

A slab leak is a leak in a pipe under the foundation, and some Texas policies may limit or exclude foundation damage caused by plumbing leaks. Ask your agent how your own policy treats a leak under the slab, the water damage above it, and the cost of reaching the pipe.

Many North Texas homes sit on slab-on-grade foundations. Water from a failed pipe under the slab can wet flooring from below, and fixing the pipe can mean breaking into the concrete.

A slab leak therefore raises several separate questions: the plumber's work to find and fix the pipe, the water damage to floors and walls, and any effect on the foundation. Policies may treat each differently. Foundation repair is a foundation contractor's job, and it is not something Lewisville Water Damage Restoration does.

For the water damage side, see slab leak water damage, which explains how the crew dries a floor after the plumber finds the leak.

What does Texas law say about deductibles and contractors?

Under Texas Insurance Code Chapter 707, effective September 1, 2019, a policyholder must pay the deductible, and it is illegal for a contractor to offer to waive, rebate, absorb, credit or offset it. An insurer may not waive a deductible in exchange for using its preferred contractor. Violations can be reported to the Texas Attorney General.

Contracts of $1,000 or more that involve an insurance settlement must carry a notice that the policyholder must pay the deductible, and insurers may ask for proof of payment. These rules protect you from offers that sound generous and create trouble later.

So treat any offer of a free job after insurance, no out-of-pocket cost or a covered deductible as a warning sign. Lewisville Water Damage Restoration does not offer those, and the Texas Department of Insurance publishes consumer information on the law.

The crew also does not bill your insurer directly or handle your claim for you. Coverage is between you and your insurer.

What should I document and who should I call first?

Stop the water if you can do so safely, photograph the damage before moving things, and call your insurer early. A restoration crew then adds moisture readings, more photographs and a list of removed materials. Keep every record, and ask your agent for the next steps your policy requires.

Photographs and a short written timeline help. Note when you found the leak, what you did and who you called. If something must be removed to stop damage, say so in your notes and keep a sample or a photograph if you can.

Call your insurer early, so you learn their process before you make large decisions. The agent can tell you about the claim steps, whether your policy asks you to take steps to limit further damage and what an adjuster will want to see.

After the emergency stage, repairs are quoted separately. You can give the insurer the written scope and the drying log, and the insurer decides what to do with them.