Act of God? Who Should Pay for Home Water Damage

You may want to consider hazard insurance for homes in areas with aging infrastructures because without it you could be on the financial hook for damages.

That’s what Donna Brause of Vienna, Virginia, is learning the hard way.

She’s been battling the town since a recent broken water main caused her basement to flood, resulting in tens of thousands of dollars in damages.

“It’s not our fault,” Brause tells WJLA. “It wasn’t our pipes. It’s nothing that we had done wrong. There was nothing faulty in the way we maintained the home.”

The Town of Vienna is paying for the initial cleanup, but officials won’t cover the full restoration cost. 

Would you expect to pay for damages?

“Anytime that I hear that this happens, I feel bad about that,” Vienna Town Manager Mercury Payton tells WJLA.

He says water main breaks are considered an “act of God,” meaning the township is not legally responsible for the damage.

That may come as a shock to many residents.

“We have protocols that we go through that fall in line with the rest of the state of Virginia and we try to follow those as best we can,” Payton says.

Before something happens to your home, check with your insurance company and carefully read your home owner's policy.

Hazard insurance typically provides protection for a broad number of perils, such as explosions, electrical surges or damage done by vehicles, that may not be included in your main policy.

Start cleanup sooner rather than later

Who’s responsible for what happened is important to figure out, but when water damage is involved the first step is to stop the water flow as quickly as possible and begin cleanup.

Look for companies that specialize in water remediation services for the home and are experienced in removing mold, mildew and other microorganisms associated with water damage.

Unfortunately, basement flooding is not uncommon for those in the Mid-Atlantic region. Learn more about the causes and costs of basement flooding and if basement waterproofing is an option.

Whether an “act of God” or not, a flooded basement still leaves behind a big mess to clean up.