If My Dishwasher Leaks and Floods My Massachusetts Home, Who Pays for the Damage?

If your home floods, it's undoubtedly a stressful situation. That's why it's helpful to know ahead of time who's responsible for cleaning up the mess and paying for the damage. Your home insurance might not always cover you in this circumstance.

An independent insurance agent in Massachusetts can help you get equipped with all the coverage you need to protect your home against flooding caused by broken dishwashers and other issues. But for starters, here's a breakdown of what happens if your dishwasher leaks and floods your Massachusetts home.

What if the Dishwasher Wasn’t Professionally Installed Correctly?

Knowing that you're hiring a legitimate professional before letting them install appliances or do other work in your home is essential for success. Make sure to take some time to ask for proof of their insurance before letting a company or contractor perform installations of appliances or anything else. Assuming the worker was properly licensed and insured and they botched the installation job, you could get reimbursement for the water damage to your home from their business insurance coverage.

What Type of Insurance Covers Dishwasher Flood Damage?

Insurance expert Jeffery Green said that homeowners insurance only covers flooding from dishwashers and other major appliances if the incident that caused the leak is sudden and accidental. So if your dishwasher was just aging or had been installed incorrectly, your home insurance wouldn't reimburse you for leaks or floods because of it. 

For covered dishwasher leaks and flooding, home insurance can reimburse for:

• Dwelling damage: For covered dishwasher leaks, home insurance can reimburse for damage to your home's structure.
• Liability: When a third party gets injured at your home due to a covered cause and presses charges against you, home insurance can reimburse for legal costs such as attorney fees.
• Contents damage: If your personal property got damaged by the leaking dishwasher and the peril was covered by home insurance, your coverage could reimburse for the replacement or repair of furniture, clothing, etc.
• Additional living expenses: If you're forced to stay somewhere else while your home undergoes extensive repairs, such as due to covered causes of flooding, your home insurance could pay for extra unexpected costs like takeout meals and gas mileage.

For a further breakdown of how your home insurance can reimburse you for damage due to a leaking dishwasher, talk to your independent insurance agent in Massachusetts. 

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Are All Types of Flooding Covered by Flood Insurance?

Flood insurance is critical to protect your home against many types of flooding that home insurance excludes. Policies are a separate coverage entirely from homeowners insurance.

Flood insurance covers the following:

• Sewer backup: For sewer backups directly caused by floods, flood insurance can cover damage to your property.
• Storm flooding: A major purpose of flood insurance is to protect you from property damage due to flooding by natural sources like hurricanes, tsunamis, heavy rain, snow, melting ice, etc.

Permanently installed carpeting and other elements of your home are covered by flood insurance, along with your contents like furniture. Flood insurance defines flooding as an excess of water in an area that's usually dry.

Who Covers Dishwasher Flood Damage?

Regardless of why your dishwasher leaked or caused a flood, you'd first file a claim through your homeowners insurance. From there, your home insurance company would investigate the disaster. But if a professional broke your dishwasher during the installation job, you could go through them directly to try to get reimbursed.

Are Other Common Causes of Massachusetts Flooding Covered?

Floods that happen in Massachusetts are caused by many types of disasters, the most common being:

• Busted appliances: Home insurance covers resulting water damage from broken appliances only if the cause of the appliance break was sudden and accidental.
• Foundation issues: Home insurance doesn't typically cover flooding due to seepage through your home's foundation. 
• Busted pipes: Water damage in the home due to busted pipes that break due to sudden/accidental causes is covered by home insurance.
• Blocked gutters: Clogged gutters that cause home flooding are not covered by home insurance as it's the homeowner's responsibility to keep them clean. 
• Natural disasters: Flood insurance is critical for protecting your home against flooding caused by natural disasters like hurricanes.
• Improper drainage: If improper drainage applies to a sewer line and you purchased a sewer backup endorsement, your home insurance would cover the resulting damage, otherwise improper drainage is not covered. 

Work together with your Massachusetts independent insurance agent to get your home equipped with all the homeowners insurance and flood insurance it needs to be protected against all types of flooding. 

Why Choose a Massachusetts Independent Insurance Agent?

Massachusetts independent insurance agents simplify the process by shopping and comparing insurance quotes for you. Not only that, but they’ll cut through the jargon and clarify the fine print so you'll know exactly what you’re getting.

Massachusetts independent insurance agents also have access to multiple insurance companies, ultimately finding you the best home insurance and flood insurance coverage, accessibility, and competitive pricing while working for you.