Grab yourself a cup of coffee, find a comfortable seat on the sofa, and take a few minutes to look for this very important rainy day coverage: Backup of Sewer or Drain.
If you have a basement, that's below ground level, chances are you have a sump pump to help keep the water out. Sump pump failures often occur during power outages or periods of heavy rain or melting snow. When the sump pump fails, water can back up into your home. If you have a finished basement, the damage can be extensive as water can seep into your furniture, floors, walls, and damage your electronic appliances.
On most Homeowners Insurance policies, coverage for this type of loss is EXCLUDED unless you purchase Backup of Sewer and Drain coverage. it's important to check your policy to see if it's on there. If you cannot find it, call your insurance agent and ask them to add it. The additional coverage is relatively inexpensive and ranges from $50 to $100 per year, depending on the limit you choose. It is an invaluable coverage.
In the event of a sump pump failure, you'll want to do everything you can to get the water cleaned up, and the space dried out, as quickly as possible. If there is a lot of water you should consider calling Alliance Disaster Kleenup. ADK has been taking care of the Chicagoland area for over a decade. Waiting too long to clean up the water can cause mold problems which can be very costly to remediate.
After you have contacted Alliance Disaster Kleenup to discuss the situation and the extent of the damage - they will come out to your property and perform an inspection. After the inspection, you should know where the source of the loss started, and steps needed to get your property back to pre-loss condition. Based on this inspection, you should have an idea if the damage is extensive enough to file a claim or not.
Of course you may also want to inquire about Flood Insurance with your Insurance Agent. This coverage needs to be in place 30 days before flooding starts, so the time is NOW to make that phone call and get this coverage. Having the correct insurance coverage in place is extremely important. This is one area in life that you do not want to skimp on. Adding $100 a year can literally save you thousands of dollars in the event of a loss. This is less than $2 per week, but it is also amazing the number of people that don't think they need the extra coverage. Until it's too late.
Contact ADK Toll Free at: 1-800-499-5921 24/7/365
