Finally Answering the Big Question: Is Toilet Overflow Covered By Homeowners Insurance

Is Toilet Overflow Covered By Homeowners Insurance or is it not? The answer to that is in your insurance policy.

It mainly depends on the terms and conditions of the policy and the cause of the overflow. If the cause of the overflow is covered, the water damage by that will be covered.

Cases Where Water Damage from Toilet Overflow is Generally Covered

Although it is decided by the terms and conditions of your insurance policy whether or not water damage by toilet overflow is covered, there are some common cases where it mostly is. These include:

Toilet Overflow Caused by Clogged Drains

If the toilet overflow is caused by a clogged drain, it is covered by homeowner's insurance. Here's an example of that.

If the drain pipes are blocked and the toilet's flushing system is broken, water can fill up in the pipes and will eventually lead to toilet overflow. Such cases are generally covered by homeowner's insurance.

Toilet Overflow Due to Faulty Plumbing

Another case where the answer to the question "is toilet overflow covered by homeowners insurance" is yes is when the overflow is caused by a plumbing problem on the property. For example, if the drain pipes are blocked on the ground floor, the wastewater can overflow into the toilets of the ground floor. Such cases are generally covered.

Toilet Overflow Caused by A Faulty Sump Pump

If the sump pump for pumping wastewater out of the basement is faulty, this can cause toilet overflow. This is another example of the cases where the answer to "is toilet overflow covered by homeowners insurance" is yes.

Cases Where Toilet Overflow is Not Covered

Homeowner's insurance is generally not responsible for the faults in the drainage system outside the property. Here are some of the examples where toilet overflow water damage is not covered:

Clogged Main Sewer Line

If the overflow is due to a clogged drain outside the property, homeowner's insurance won't generally compensate you for that.

Faulty Sump Pump Outside the Property

If the overflow is caused by a malfunctioning sump pump outside the property, this is not covered by insurance.

Flood-Caused Toilet Overflow

Unless your insurance policy explicitly states that it covers you against flood-related damage, toilet overflow water damage caused by a flood is not covered.

Who Gets to Decide?

So, who is the one deciding, is toilet overflow covered by homeowners insurance?

Technically that is the insurance company. Once you file the claim, they'll send their team to inspect the case.

This team then decides whether or not you are covered.

You are thinking right, the team might tend to favor the insurer as they are the ones paying them.

To solve that problem, you can hire a public adjuster. Here's what a public adjuster like ACI Adjustments Group can do for you.