April Showers Bring… Water Damage

Sump Pump

Spring is coming! That means more April showers and more May flowers… but also a massive influx of water-in-basement claims. When the damage is more than “a little bit of water on the floor,” it is normally due to a sump pump failure. When these floods happen, most homeowners are simply too stunned to speak, and discover that they are uncovered by their standard homeowner’s policy.

With that in mind, the team at Clear wanted to remind you that you have an opportunity to help your clients.

An inexpensive add-on to most policies is what is commonly referred to as a “Sump Pump Rider”.

Sump Pump failure can be due to a power outage (electrical failure) or mechanical malfunction. It is important to know what the coverage your policy provides. When discussing with your client’s what coverage is right for them, it is important that they understand a few basic details:

• Most sump pump failure is NOT covered under a standard homeowner’s policy.
• To ensure coverage, they should opt-in for “Sump Pump Rider coverage”, which covers the homeowner if the sump pump stops working due to a power outage and most mechanical failures.
• To avoid denied claims, the homeowner should take steps ensure the sump pump is being serviced regularly by the homeowner. This means clearing the drain to prevent clogging and other regularly scheduled mechanical checks.

As Clear has helped folks clean up many times after sump pump failure, we always try to tell the homeowner to contact their agent, as a few additional dollars a month would protect them from an expensive clean up.

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