Water is creeping out from under the dishwasher and across your kitchen floor in Broad Ripple. Homeowners insurance usually doesn't cover appliance breakdown, so it likely won't pay to fix the dishwasher itself. A standard home policy leaves out wear and tear and parts that just break.
But if a leak from the appliance soaks your floor or walls, the policy may pay for that damage. It still won't pay to fix the dishwasher or washer that leaked.
That stings. The machine is the thing you need fixed.
Here's how a typical home policy treats each case, but your own policy may use different words, so read yours alongside this list.
- If it wore out or just stopped working: no. Wear and tear and parts that break are left out.
- If it leaked all at once and soaked the floor or walls: maybe for the water damage, but not for the appliance.
- If it leaked slowly for weeks: maybe not. Some policies limit slow leaks. One Indiana insurer covers slow seepage from pipes, heating and AC only if it lasted under 14 days, and it doesn't name appliances. Check yours.
- If you bought equipment breakdown coverage: maybe. It's an add-on, not part of a plain policy, so ask your agent.
- If food spoiled in a power outage: not under most standard policies, the state says. Some insurers sell an add-on for it.
- If a drain or sewer backed up: not under most standard policies, the state says. Some insurers sell an add-on for it.
Will homeowners insurance pay for a new refrigerator?
Not if the fridge wore out or broke down on its own. The standard home policy form is called the HO-3, and the part that covers the house leaves out wear and tear, latent defects and mechanical breakdown. Your belongings, like a plug-in fridge, are covered only for a set list of causes such as fire or theft. A breakdown isn't on that list.
That wording comes from a copy of the standard HO-3 form that one insurer posts online. It's the 1991 edition, and newer forms may differ.
"Mechanical breakdown" is a part that just fails. A "latent defect" is a flaw that was there all along but hidden from you until the day it showed up. The policy won't pay for either one.
Read the exact wording
"(1) Wear and tear, marring, deterioration; (2) Inherent vice, latent defect, mechanical breakdown;"
What about a fire?
A fire is a covered cause on the standard form, so a fridge lost in a kitchen fire is a different claim from one that just quit. The form also lists sudden damage from a power surge, but it leaves out "a tube, transistor or similar electronic component." Whether that takes in the circuit board in a newer appliance is up to your insurer, so ask. We cover that in who pays when a power surge kills your appliances. Ask your insurer, and have your policy number in hand when you call.
Can I file an insurance claim for a leaking dishwasher?
You can file one for the water damage, and the policy may pay. It won't pay for the dishwasher. The same HO-3 form draws that line.
Say a worn part makes your dishwasher leak. The policy may pay to fix the wet floor, but it won't pay to fix or replace the dishwasher that started it all.
Read the exact wording
"If any of these cause water damage not otherwise excluded, from a… household appliance, we cover loss caused by the water… We do not cover loss to the system or appliance from which this water escaped."
Your rug and other things
Your belongings are a different matter. The form covers them when water leaks by accident from an appliance, and it lists that among the causes it covers.
A rug soaked by a sudden leak may be covered. The appliance still isn't.
Read the exact wording
"accidental discharge or overflow of water or steam from within… a household appliance"
Slow leaks
Slow leaks are different. Take one Indiana insurer: Homeowners of America's policy summary covers slow seepage from plumbing, heating or AC systems only if it lasted "less than 14 days." It doesn't name appliances. Yours may differ. Ask your insurer about slow leaks before you need to.
What to do in the first hour
- Cut the power first if water is near a plug or outlet. Switch off the breaker.
- Then stop the water if you can do it safely.
- Take photos of the floor, the walls and the appliance before you clean up.
- Write down when you first saw the water. With a slow leak, how long it ran can affect the claim.
- Keep receipts for anything you buy to dry things out.
What to write down before you call your insurer
- Your policy number.
- The date and time you found the leak.
- What got wet: the floor, the walls, cabinets, rugs.
- The appliance's brand, model number and rough age.
Put it all on one page. When they ask when it started, you'll have the answer in front of you, and with a slow leak that date can matter.
What are some things home insurance won't cover?
Wear and tear, and parts that just break. Under most standard policies, food spoiled in a power outage and backed-up drains aren't covered either, and the Indiana Department of Insurance says so.
Read the exact wording
"food spoilage due to a power outage and water damage from backed-up drains or sewers are not covered under most standard homeowners policies."
From Indiana Department of Insurance, winter weather and insurance
If the fridge quit in an outage, plan on paying for the lost food yourself, unless you bought an add-on. The state says some insurers sell add-ons for things a standard policy leaves out. One Indiana insurer, Homeowners of America, lists one for food in the fridge, up to $500. Ask your agent. For what to keep and what to toss, see is the food in your fridge safe after a power outage.
What if you think your insurer got it wrong?
You can complain to the state. The Indiana Department of Insurance takes complaints, and its complaints page says its Consumer Services Division handles them. That office also keeps reports, so you can check up on insurers and agents in Indiana.
Read the exact wording
"The Consumer Services Division accepts complaints and compiles reports so the public can evaluate the companies and agents who conduct insurance business in Indiana."
Read your policy first. Keep copies of every letter from your insurer. Write down who you spoke to and when, because that record is what you'll lean on if the claim drags on.
Before you file
Ask the insurer to put its answer in writing, along with the part of the policy it's relying on. Then hold it next to your own copy. If the words don't match what happened in your kitchen, you'll be able to say exactly why in your complaint.
Who pays to fix the appliance, then?
You do, unless a warranty or an add-on covers it. Some insurers sell an add-on called equipment breakdown coverage, which can pay when a part fails. One Indiana insurer, Homeowners of America, lists it with a $500 deductible. Ask your agent if you have it. If the appliance is new, start with the maker's warranty, and see will a local repair shop void your appliance warranty before you book anyone.
If it's past that, see who we send repair calls to, and why.
Get the repair price in writing
Ask for the repair price in writing. Have the tech note what failed and why, which keeps the appliance repair apart from the water damage, the same line your policy draws.