TEXAS FROZEN PIPE BURST INSURANCE CLAIMS 101
In February 2021, Texas experienced one of the worst winter storms in nearly 100 years. Cities all across Texas, some blanketed in snow and ice for the first time, saw some of the coldest temperatures ever in their area. Unfortunately, most Texans are now dealing with what most people in northern states deal with every winter: frozen water pipes. Frozen pipes can not only be a major inconvenience, but they can wreak all sorts of havoc if they burst.
When water inside a pipe freezes, it expands about 9% when it changes its state from water to ice. This can cause downstream pressure to reach as high as 25,000 PSI, which is certainly enough pressure to easily burst a water pipe.
Pipe bursts can cause water to flow through almost every part of your house, ruining your ceiling, your floor, and even cause mold.
Fortunately, for homeowners and business owners, water damage from pipe bursts caused by freezing are often covered by your insurance. If your property has suffered water damage from a pipe burst, here are the steps you need to take to file an insurance claim and give your claim the best chance of getting paid.
Step #1 Shut Off the Water in Your Property
Every property owner should know where the main water valve is for their property. Go to the main water valve for the property and shut it off immediately. Failure to do will cause even more water damage and potentially flood your home.
Step #2 Call a Plumber
Call a reputable plumber so they can fix any burst pipes and ensure that your water system is back to normal. DO NOT WAIT – an experienced plumber will be able to comb through your home to for any other potential issues in your water system.
Step #3 Call Your Insurance Company and Take Notes
You should be calling your insurance company on the same day as your pipe burst, any longer and you can face delays and only do harm to your claim. Even if you don’t think that there’s been a lot of damage to your property, you still need to file a claim. The fact is that you are likely not an experienced inspector who can find signs of serious damage to your property, so its extremely important that you get a set of trained eyes to inspect your property for damage. Also, remember to take notes of your conversation with your insurance carrier as the representative may enter something into their file that is false to potentially harm your claim. Take diligent notes to protect your claim.
Step #4 Take Pictures of the Water Damage and Pipe Burst
Take a lot of photographs of the water damage and the pipe burst. Treat your property like the scene of a crime where all the evidence needs to be documented. Taking photographs helps tell the story of your claim and help protect your claim from being wrongfully denied, delayed, or underpaid.
Step #5 Record The Adjuster
When the adjuster from your insurance carrier arrives to inspect your property, you should be recording every part of that inspection. As a property owner with an interest in getting your property claim paid, you have every right to record the inspection to help ensure that the adjuster is thorough during their inspection.
Step #6 Call an Experience Insurance Claim Lawyer
It’s no secret that insurance companies will do everything they can possible to deny or severely underpay your frozen pipe burst claim, which is why claimants receive 3x more for their insurance claims when they hire an experienced insurance claim lawyer.
An experienced insurance claim lawyer can help effectively negotiate your insurance claim and, if necessary, file a lawsuit and litigate your insurance claim in court.
Call the Texas Pipe Burst Insurance Claim Lawyers at Moore Law Firm
We understand that most every day Texans feel that they don’t have it in their budget to hire an experienced insurance claim lawyer, which is why our law firm offers:
- FREE consultations and FREE case reviews
- FREE property inspections
- ZERO out-0f-pocket costs
- NO FEE if we don’t settle or win your case.
Call the Texas insurance claim lawyers at Moore Law Firm today to schedule your FREE property inspection at 1-956-631-0745