Water damage insurance

Verified 20 August 2020 - Directorate for Legal and Administrative Information (Prime Minister)

Water damage insurance is used to repair damage caused by water action. If you are a tenant of a dwelling, you must subscribe to this insurance. It is important to check with your company the risks covered by the contract. In the event of a loss, you must notify your insurance within 5 days and complete an amicable statement to describe the loss. Your insurer may ask for an expert opinion before compensating you.

Water damage insurance covers risks related to water action, but some risks are sometimes excluded by insurers.

Damage generally covered is damage resulting from leaks, broken pipes or overflow (such as from a bathtub or washing machine).

You must check the guarantees covered in your contract and the cases of exclusion.

Remember to also inform your neighbors, your condominium trustee and your landlord (if you are a tenant) of the extent of your coverage.

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Owner

Insurance against water damage is optional for the owner occupying his dwelling.

It is part of the risks covered by the insurance multi-risk housing.

Tenant

Insurance against water damage is mandatory for the tenant.

It is part of the risks covered by the insurance multi-risk housing.

If you are the victim of a water damage disaster, you must notify your insurer within 5 days that follow the disaster.

You should talk to your insurance company or insurance broker who manages your contracts.

Their contact details are recalled on the receipts or in the contract.

The declaration can be made by telephone or by going directly to the insurer's agency.

FYI  

some insurers also allow you to report online. Check this possibility on their website.

If you can't do it online, it's best to send a return by mail, preferably by registered letter with acknowledgement of receipt, to your insurer. Optionally, provide your insurance agent or broker with a copy of this letter.

Include the following information in this email:

  • Contact details (name, address)
  • Number of your insurance contract
  • Description of the claim (nature, date, time, place)
  • Estimated condition of destroyed or deteriorated furniture and articles
  • Description of damage (material or personal injury, importance)
  • Damage to others (e.g. if a water leak in your home caused damage to your neighbors)
  • Victim contact information if available.

If you have completed an amicable finding water damage together with the other persons involved in the claim, it must be attached to the claim.

FYI  

there is no official model for the amicable observation of water damage. Each insurer has its own model.

Friendly statement "water damage"

The amicable statement "water damage" is a document which makes it possible to record the elements of the disaster necessary for the processing of the claim for compensation. It shall include in particular the following:

  • Place of loss
  • Circumstances
  • Cause(s) of the loss
  • Nature of damage
  • Contact details of persons affected by the claim and their insurance

The amicable declaration must be completed and signed by you and all those concerned by the claim.

It's not a mandatory document, but it does speed up the process of the insurance claim.

If you have completed a friendly statement, you must send it to your insurer as soon as possible. If you are a tenant or if the property is part of a condominium, you must also send the friendly statement to the owner or trustee.

The report may be completed even if there are no third parties involved in the disaster.

FYI  

there is no official model for the amicable observation of water damage. Each insurer has its own model.

Leak search

The purpose of the leak search is to stop the water supply urgently and to identify the origin of the disaster.

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General case

You have to look for a professional to do the leak search and you have to pay for it, before claiming the refund from your insurer.

Application of the IRSI Convention

Leak search in a private room
Busy Local

It is the insurer of the occupant of the premises who must organize the search for leakage.

But the search for leakage must be organized by the insurer of the owner of the premises in the following 3 cases:

  • The research could destroy the premises
  • The occupant is not insured
  • The tenant occupant has given a notice that expires on the day of the accident

If the owner of the premises is not insured, the insurer of the building must organize the search for leakage.

Local not busy

It is the insurer of the owner of the premises who must organize the search for leakage.

But the search for leakage must be organized by the building insurer if the owner of the premises is not insured.

Leak search in common areas of the building

It's the building's insurer who has to arrange the search for a leak. However, if the source of the leak is located in a private premises, the insurer of the owner of this premises must bear the cost of the search.

Expert's decision

Damage to water does not automatically lead to assessment.

However, when it deems it necessary (usually if the damage is greater than €1,600), the insurance applied for an expert and appoint an expert. Its role is then to assess the damage and determine the causes of the disaster.

You will be notified by your insurer of the arrival of this expert.

Prepare your case before the expertise

You will have to justify the damage you have suffered, so:

  • Keep all items that were damaged in the disaster, even if damaged, as much as possible.
  • collect everything that can identify damaged or destroyed goods in the disaster (invoices, photos, guarantee vouchers...).

Before the expert's visit, you can have the premises refurbished and quoted.

Check with your insurance company to see if it allows you to start refurbishment work before an expert comes.

FYI  

insurance companies have set up agreements to settle claims water damage the least important as quickly as possible and without prior expertise.

Usually, your insurer sends you a letter indicating the amount of the compensation he offers you.

If you accept it, the payment will be made within the time frame stipulated in the contract (generally, 1 month).

In case of disagreement with the proposed compensation, you can make a claim with your insurance.

You can ask him on this occasion (preferably by registered post with acknowledgement of receipt) to obtain a copy of the expert report. The law does not require insurance companies to provide the expert report to insured persons, but the companies have undertaken to do so on their own.