MOST INSURANCE POLICIES REQUIRE YOU TO MAINTAIN HEAT IN YOUR HOME OR BUILDING IN ORDER TO BE COVERED IF YOUR PIPES FREEZE
Valentine’s Day 2016 brought more than chocolate and flowers – it also delivered record-breaking cold – and lots of frozen pipes. The Boston Fire Department responded to 545 calls for burst pipes in 24 hours.
Will those homes and businesses be able to recover from their insurer for damage they may have suffered?
It Depends.
Most insurance policies require that you take “reasonable care” to maintain heat in the building or house, or that you “shut off the water supply and drain all systems and appliances of water.”
If you are away on vacation and your pipes freeze – but you left your heat at a reasonable temperature and the boiler failed – your loss will be covered. But if you were late for that flight to Florida and forgot to leave any heat on, your insurer can refuse to cover the loss.
Be sure to check back for valuable tips and information, and if you need assistance in resolving an insurance claim, call Swerling Milton Winnick.
