Should I file an insurance claim for flooding caused by broken pipe in wall?

[Kay March]

A pipe broke in the wall of a rental house. The water went into the wall and into the carpeting in a bedroom. There doesn't seem to be any significant damage at this point, although mold could be a concern later on. Should I file a claim with the insurance company so that they can inspect the situation?

[Vicente Terán]

Hi Kay! I recently had a similar situation come up... I ended up opening a claim then had the insurance company close out the claim and covered the cost myself.

While working thru the claim process I ran into a handful of concerning events related to shady restoration companies and ended up being able to make the repairs for far cheaper than what the restoration companies were saying they would charge the insurance.

I did have the drywall removed and had blowers on the wet areas to assure it was 100% dried out and avoid mold issues.. along with had the area professionally cleaned after. You can have a company come out to do moisture readings and saving them for your records to have confirmation the area that was impacted is no longer a hazard. Also can be handy to share with your tenants to show you remediated the issue 100%.

From what I've heard, if you can avoid going the insurance route and the cost for repairs is less or slightly greater than your deductible its better to avoid filing the claim.

One thing to note, if you open a claim and close out even with a zero dollar payout the property still has a record of this damage.. something that can impact your resell, as an FYI.

This is my experience, hope it helps!