How To Deal With Water Damage

Water damage in a home is any kind of damage caused by water being anywhere it isn't supposed to be. The damage could be caused by something minor, like a small leak under your sink that turned into a bigger issue, or it could result from something major, such as flooding after an intense rainstorm.

Common causes of water damage to property include:

• burst pipes
• missing or broken shingles
• clogged gutters
• appliances not working properly (for example, washing machines, dishwashers, or refrigerator icemakers)
• sewer backups
• floods or heavy rainstorms
• poor drainage around foundation
• faulty or aging plumbing systems
• overflowing toilets, sinks, or bathtubs

Major warning signs that water might be causing problems in your home include:

• stains and discolouration
• bubbling paint or peeling wallpaper
• damp or musty odour
• buckled, warped, or soft flooring
• water in odd places
• unusual sounds, such as dripping or hissing noises
• mold growth

You can often detect key signs of water damage in your ceilings, floors, or walls. Here are some examples of what to look out for: 

Table: Major signs of water damage

Serious water damage isn't always immediately visible, but many of the key signs in our table above—for example, large, spreading stains, warped or soft and uneven flooring, sagging walls or ceilings, mold growth, or odd odours—can be indicators of serious damage.

But even if the damage turns out to be more minor, it's important to take action as soon as you can, to help prevent a small problem from becoming a major issue.

While water damage can be beyond your control, there are still several preventative actions you can take to help keep your home safe and dry, including:

• Inspect your roof regularly
• Maintain your gutters and downspouts  
• Seal windows and doors
• Inspect your plumbing
• Be careful with your landscaping
• Consider installing a sump pump and/or backwater valves

Learn more about how to prevent water damage.

Dealing with water damage can be overwhelming, so it can be helpful to break down the cleanup and recovery process into more manageable steps.

If you're filing a claim with your insurer for the damage, they'll be able to help with the cleanup. But if you plan on dealing with the issue on your own, consider calling a water damage cleanup and restoration company for help, especially if the damage involves contaminated water.

You need to act quickly to mitigate water damage. But be sure to exercise caution. For example:

• Check for sagging ceilings or flooring that might collapse
• Avoid potential electrical hazards, including electrical outlets and switches located in the affected area
• Don't handle any surfaces or items touched by contaminated water (for example, black water from a sewer backup)

Once you've checked that it's safe to proceed, here are some immediate actions you can take to help mitigate the water damage:

After you've mitigated the damage, take pictures and prepare a list of what has been damaged, destroyed, or lost for your insurance company. If the water damage is significant, your insurer may step in to help you handle both the water damage remediation and restoration stages below.

Remediation after water damage involves deep cleaning and thoroughly drying the affected areas. This helps to prevent further unpleasant surprises such as mold and structural deterioration. Tasks during the remediation stage include removing wet building materials, drying out furniture and belongings, and disinfecting surfaces.

To restore your home back to its pre-damage condition, you'll need to repair and rebuild any parts damaged by the water. This might include:

• replacing damaged drywall, flooring, and insulation
• repairing or rebuilding structural elements
• reinstalling fixtures
• painting or refinishing walls and surfaces
• testing and restoring electrical and plumbing systems
• contacting professionals for any major reconstruction (for example, roof or foundation repairs)

During this restoration phase, you might also want to consider making eco-friendly home improvements, such as using sustainable building materials or replacing a water-damaged furnace with an energy efficient one.

Yes, water damage can be covered by your home insurance if you have the right coverages on your home insurance policy. So it's important to understand the full details of the coverages provided by your insurance, since your coverage will depend on the cause of the damage and the specifics of your policy. 

If you're a TD Insurance home insurance customer and you have any questions about your coverage, login to MyInsurance to check your policy details or chat with a licensed TD Insurance Advisor—all from the comfort of your couch. Haven't set up your MyInsurance account yet? Click here to register now—it only takes a few minutes to register and access your policy details online.

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Most home insurance policies provide water damage coverage for sudden and accidental water damage, such as burst pipes. But they usually won't cover damage caused by a long-term issue like a slow leak or poor maintenance.

Your home insurance will cover flood-related damage as long as your policy includes an overland flood coverage add-on. For example, at TD Insurance, our Extended Water Damage coverage add-on, which provides coverage for certain types of flood-related damage, is automatically included in our home policies (subject to eligibility).  Note that, as many standard home insurance policies won't cover water damage caused by floods, an add-on is often required to get coverage for flood-related damage.

Tenant insurance covers water damage to your personal belongings that's caused by a sudden and accidental event, like a pipe bursting. You can also purchase add-ons to your tenant insurance for additional water damage coverage. Damage to the rental unit or structure itself won't be covered, however—these types of repairs are your landlord's responsibility.

Yes, if your claim for the water damage you've experienced is covered by your home insurance and your policy also provides Additional Living Expenses coverage, your insurance can help you with some of your temporary additional living expenses if your home becomes unlivable.

If you're a TD Insurance home insurance customer, our home repairs process for your covered claim includes a 3-year warranty on repair work if you use a contractor from our network of preferred contractors.^† Learn more about how the home repairs process works for TD Insurance home insurance customers.

Sources:

¹ https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/publications/healthy-living/addressing-moisture-mould-your-home.html