Does Home Insurance Cover Water Damage?

by COUNTRY Financial

When water intrudes on your home, the first person you’ll likely call is your home insurance agent, wondering whether your policy covers water damage.

And the answer they’ll likely give you is, ‘It depends.’ The first thing to know is that most standard home insurance policies do not cover flood damage. Flood insurance is usually only available for purchase in addition to, and separate from, your main home insurance policy.

As for what water damage scenarios are covered, it depends on several factors.

What types of water damage are covered by home insurance?

Most standard home insurance policies will cover water damage if the source of water originates from within your home; burst pipes, water heaters or broken appliances that use water. (Importantly, standard home insurance would likely not cover a slow leak, which we’ll discuss in the next section.)

Home insurance is a policy contract containing multiple types of coverage to protect all aspects of your home. The two coverage types most likely involved with remediating water damage are dwelling coverage and personal property coverage.

Dwelling coverage

Dwelling coverage protects your home’s physical structure. If you file a water damage claim, dwelling coverage could include protection for:

• Foundation or interior structure
• Walls
• Flooring
• Countertops
• Fireplaces

If you’re concerned about potential water damage, check to see how much dwelling coverage you have in your home policy.

Personal property coverage

Personal property coverage, also called personal property protection, protects personal belongings inside your home from various perils, including water damage. Any of the following can be protected from damage:

• Furniture
• Clothing
• Appliances
• Other items of high monetary or sentimental value

Personal property coverage is usually administered as a percentage of your dwelling coverage, so review your home insurance policy to see how your belongings are covered.

What types of water damage are not covered?

As mentioned, water damage coverage usually only extends to water flows that are sudden or accidental. That means damage from slow leaks, normal wear and tear of your plumbing and sewer or drain backups are not usually covered.

Insurance won’t cover the cost to repair the source of water damage. Say your dishwasher springs a leak and floods your kitchen, for example; insurance could cover the cost to rip out the floor and remove any damaged drywall, but it won’t pay for a new dishwasher.

Does insurance cover flood damage?

There’s an important difference between water damage and flood damage. Water damage, as we’ve discussed, is damage resulting from sudden flows of water within your home.

A flood is generally defined as a large flow of water that originates from outside your home and is triggered by natural causes. If you’re looking to protect your home from floods, you’ll need to purchase separate insurance from the National Flood Insurance Program.

Final thoughts

Homeowners insurance and water damage are common topics within insurance. It’s important to remediate water damage quickly once it occurs to avoid mold growth and loss of value to your home.

If you’d like to know more about what type of water damage is covered by your home insurance, talk to your insurance agent today—they can help answer questions so you can determine how much coverage you need.

Updated 5-12-25