Does Homeowners Insurance Cover Water Damage From an AC?
Where home insurance was once thought of as an unnecessary investment, it’s now standard procedure for most modern homes. There is a seemingly unlimited amount of problems and issues that can damage your home and severely reduce its value. Anything from wind and rain to fires and other forces of nature and unforeseen accidents are possible. Water damage from your air conditioner is another problem that homeowners don’t think of until it happens.
Water damage from an air conditioner is covered by most forms of homeowners insurance depending on the circumstances. If your air conditioner water damage was caused by vandalism, fire, lightning, or a falling tree, your water damage is covered by home insurance. However, if your water damage resulted from wear and tear of your HVAC system or because of something you did, your insurance won’t cover the damage.
Unfortunately, not all forms of water damage caused by an air conditioner are covered by homeowners insurance. If water damage from an air conditioner is something you’re worried about, you should specifically mention it to your insurance company and have them write it into your policy.
Common Causes of AC Water Damage
A big factor that determines whether or not water damage from an air conditioner is covered by your homeowner’s insurance is whether or not the thing that caused your air conditioner to malfunction is covered. There are a number of reasons that air conditioners cause water damage. Some of them are the result of natural wear and tear, which will not be covered by homeowners insurance. Others, however, are things that are accidents that are out of your control and are more likely to be covered by homeowners insurance.
Vandalism
If someone vandalizes your air conditioner or any of its components and this results in water damage, you’ll likely be compensated through your insurance.
Fire and Lightning Damage
If fire or lightning damages your AC and results in water damage, you’ll likely be covered by your insurance.
Fallen Trees
If a tree falls on your air conditioner and damages it resulting in water damage, this will likely be covered by your insurance.
Mechanical Failure
Fallen trees, fire, lightning, and vandalism can all cause issues to your air conditioner that results in water damage. However, mechanical failure and wear and tear are much more common problems with air conditioners that cause water damage to your home. Mechanical failures include condensation drain problems, coil issues, wiring malfunctions, and other things specific to your air conditioner.
Reasons Your Water Damage Claim Can be Rejected
There are a number of reasons why your water damage claim might be rejected. At the end of the day, insurance companies will look for any little reason to avoid paying you for water damage. Unless you can properly document your insurance claim and gather enough evidence, there’s a good chance that they won’t cover the damage. Here are some of the most common reasons that AC water damage claims are rejected.
When the Water Damage is Your Fault
The main reason that your water damage claim is rejected is if the problem is your fault or the fault of natural wear and tear. For example, if your air conditioner’s condensation pipe becomes clogged because of something that you did or because of old age, your water damage claim will likely be rejected. Insurance companies aren’t looking to bail you out because you failed to take care of your equipment. If at all possible, they will try to push the blame off onto your shoulders and make you the one at fault to keep from covering your claim.
If Your AC is Old and Outdated
Your water damage claim will also likely be rejected based on the age of your air conditioner. Most ACs aren’t overly durable and have a lifespan of 10 to 15 years. If your AC is older than this, mechanical problems and wear and tear are more likely to occur. With proper maintenance and care, your air conditioner can enjoy a long and problem-free life, but this is never a guarantee with electrical appliances.
The Type and Location of Your Air Conditioner
Another reason your claim might be rejected is because of where your air conditioner is located. Window air conditioners, for example, aren’t considered part of your home’s structure and water damage stemming from them often isn’t covered by insurance claims. Air conditioners that contain both an internal and external component and are connected to the HVAC system in your home are more likely to be covered.
Insufficient Evidence
Even if the letter of the law is on your side and you know with 100% certainty that your insurance claim should be accepted, it can still be rejected without enough evidence. Whether the source of the problem is impossible to prove or you cleaned up the mess before taking incriminating photos, insufficient evidence is a common reason that water damage claims are rejected.
How to Make a Successful Water Leak Insurance Claim
Finding the proper wording and structure for your water leak insurance claim is paramount to its success. Like I said before, insurance companies will do everything in their power to avoid having to compensate you for water damage. If there’s a way to prove that it was your fault or the fault of something not covered in your insurance policy, they’ll find it.
Remember, your goal isn’t to lie and get compensated for something that actually was your fault. Your goal should be for a fair and accurate judgment from your insurance company in regards to your air conditioning water damage. Your insurance claim begins when you first make contact with your insurance company and explain what happened. However, documenting and filing the claim should start before this.
Build Evidence
The first thing you’ll want to do is compile any evidence that acts in your favor in regards to an air conditioner causing water damage. To do this, you may want to employ a heating and cooling technician to inspect your system and determine what the cause of the problem is. It will also be in your favor to have a qualified professional on your side explaining in technical terms what caused your AC water damage.
Take Photos
Apart from having an HVAC technician professionally document the cause of the water damage, you should also take photos of the damage. Make sure to include any photos of the source of the leak as specified by the HVAC technician.
Contact a Claims Adjustor
When you’ve reached this point it may help to contact a public adjuster to provide guidance on your insurance claim. A public adjuster can also help document the damage for your AC leak to file a quality claim with your insurance provider. You should note, however, that a public adjuster is a claims professional who acts on behalf of policyholders to ensure you get a fair claim settlement. They won’t necessarily be biased towards you or your insurance company.
Proper Documentation is Crucial for Water Leak Insurance Claims
Anytime you get into the realm of insurance and documentation, things can get tricky. This is another area where having a public adjuster at your side will come in handy. They will make sure that the documentation you file is accurate, in the right order, and that you fill out the proper forms. They will also make sure that the settlement you submit is enough to cover repairs from the water damage.
If your water damage was the result of vandalism to your air conditioner, an adjustor will also help you file and document a police report.
Once you have all the information and firepower you need, you should then contact the insurance company and explain to them what happened. They will send an agent to your home to inspect the damage and question you about what happened. With all your documentation and evidence in hand, it will be much easier to have your damage covered by homeowners insurance than without it.
Situations Where Your Water Damage Insurance Claim Won’t be Covered
Here are the main situations where your water damage insurance claim won’t be covered.
- The AC water damage resulted from something that you did that caused your air conditioner to malfunction.
- The water damage was the result of regular wear and tear or the old age of your air conditioner.
- The water damage resulted because you failed to properly maintain your air conditioner and HVAC system.
- Whatever damaged your air conditioner wasn’t covered by your homeowners insurance policy.
Does State Farm Cover Water Damage From an Air Conditioner?
Like most forms of homeowners insurance, State Farm will only cover water damage caused by an air conditioner if you can prove the cause of the damage wasn’t your fault. If the water damage was caused by lack of maintenance or regular wear and tear, State Farm will not cover the resulting damage.
Does USAA Cover Water Damage From Air Conditioner?
Like most forms of homeowners insurance, USAA will only cover water damage caused by an air conditioner if you can prove the cause of the damage wasn’t your fault. If the water damage was caused by lack of maintenance or regular wear and tear, USAA will not cover the resulting damage.
Do I Need Special HVAC insurance?
Homeowners insurance won’t cover water damage from an air conditioner as a result of wear and tear or age-related problems. In the same way, it also won’t cover damage to your HVAC system itself for these same issues. There also isn’t a special HVAC insurance that you can purchase outside of what is typical of your homeowners’ insurance nor do you need it.
Before I started writing, I worked for 6 plus years in the plumbing, electrical, and HVAC business. I was primarily an HVAC installer but also worked as a plumber and electrician. Now I'm a copywriter, focusing on home improvement content and guides.
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