This is general information, not advice about your policy. Your policy documents and your adjuster are the authority on what you are covered for.
Every winter, somewhere in Greater Cleveland, a pipe freezes in an outside wall, thaws, and lets go. By the time anyone notices, the water has been through a ceiling, the floors and the walls, and the house needs drying out, stripping back and rebuilding. Fire, storm damage and a failed water heater end the same way: a house that nobody can live in for a while.
What insurance usually says about frozen pipes
Homeowners policies generally cover water damage from a pipe that bursts suddenly and accidentally. The usual condition is that the house was being reasonably looked after: heated, or drained and shut off if it was empty. A claim can run into trouble if the heat was turned off. The repair to the pipe itself is often treated differently from the damage the water did.
If the home is uninhabitable while it is repaired, the part of the policy that covers additional living expenses is what pays for somewhere else to stay. We have written about how that coverage generally works in a separate article.
Why staying close matters
The first offer is often whatever is available, which can be a hotel on the other side of the county. For a few nights that is fine. For a repair that will take months, distance from home costs more than it seems to.
- Children stay in the same school, on the same bus route or the same drive
- The commute to work does not change, or changes very little
- You can get to the house to meet the adjuster, the contractors and the restoration crew
- Neighbours, family and the routines that hold a week together are still within reach
Our homes are in Brooklyn Centre on the west side, and in Cleveland Heights, Euclid, Maple Heights and Bedford Heights on the east. If your home is near one of them, ask for that one first.
Keeping the pets with the family
A household that has just lost its home should not also have to board the dog. Many hotels refuse pets or limit them to one small animal, which forces exactly that choice.
Five of our six homes welcome pets, and the sixth allows them with written consent. Most have a yard, and the Modern Euclid house has a fenced one. Tell us what animals are coming when you ask, and we will say which homes suit them.
What to have ready when you call
- How many people, and their ages
- Any pets
- The insurer, the claim number if you have one, and the adjuster's name
- Whether the insurer is paying us directly or you are claiming it back
- The best estimate of how long the repair will take, even if it is a guess
We own and look after these homes ourselves, and we would rather hear about a displaced household the day it happens than a week later. Adjusters and housing coordinators can send the details through the quote form. Households can call us on (216) 306-4821, 8am to 9pm, seven days.