Worth it to use insurance for a repair.

[Jim Stanley]

My rental condo in Asheville, NC was spared damage from the flood, but when the city finally turned the water back on a few days ago, they somehow overpressurized and blew out a fitting inside a wall.  My property manager called (I live in Denver) and told me they got it turned off pretty quickly, but a whole wall's worth of drywall was damaged.  He got the drywall out. I told him to pull out everything that might have gotten wet, get everything dry (to prevent mold), and make sure it was done right.  I don't yet have an estimate on cost.

I've never used insurance for something like this because A) I've never had an expensive repair and B) I fix most stuff myself on my Denver units.

Question is: Should I file a claim or will the insurance company raise my rates so much that it makes it not worth it. For what it's worth, this condo is technically owned by the the trust established by my Self Directed IRA.

Thanks!

[Nathan Gesner]

You should reserve insurance for large claims.

Contact the city and report the issue to them. They usually have a process for filing a claim with the city for damage caused by them, and they may be willing to cover it.