Does Flood Insurance Cover Human Error?

People in Florida deal with flooding in ways most states never experience, and that often leads to questions about what flood insurance covers. One that comes up more than you’d expect is whether human error counts. Someone leaves a faucet running, a contractor breaks a pipe, or a neighbor accidentally sends water your way. These situations fall in a gray area, so it helps to look at how your policy treats different sources of water damage. Jet Stream Insurance Group, LLC, serving Miami Lakes, FL, explains. 

What Flood Policies Consider a Covered Event

Flood insurance, especially policies backed by the National Flood Insurance Program, sticks to a narrow definition. A covered flood usually involves rising water from outside the home, like a storm surge, overflowing lake, or heavy rainfall pooling in the wrong place. Because of that, most types of accidental indoor water damage aren’t covered under flood insurance. They’re typically handled by homeowners insurance instead, assuming the cause fits that policy’s coverage parameters.

Where Human Error Fits In

Human error can create a mess, but it doesn’t usually meet the legal threshold of a flood. If a family member forgets the bath’s running or a plumber cracks a line, the water originates inside the home. That pushes the claim toward homeowners coverage, not flood insurance. The tricky part is when an outside party causes damage that starts outdoors and works its way into your property. Even then, the policy language still leans heavily on whether the water source qualifies as a flood, not who caused it.

FL homes see all kinds of water issues, and not all of them fit neatly into one category. Talking with an agent at Jet Stream Insurance Group, LLC about how each policy handles accidental damage can clear up any confusion. Call us. We’re currently serving Miami Lakes, FL.