Winterizing Gone Awry

October 26, 2015

A client of ours owns a second home in New Jersey and had hired a plumber to winterize his plumbing before the winter because the house was going to be unoccupied. Unbeknownst to him, the water valve at the street had a small leak and water continued to enter his plumbing system despite his attempt to winterize. When the temperature dropped that winter, the water in the pipes froze and caused pipe breaks and water damage in the kitchen, bathroom, and laundry room. The insured did not discover the damage until he checked on the house in the spring. The carrier has accepted that there is a covered freeze loss and is paying for damages to the flooring and drywall. However, they are denying coverage for damages to the kitchen cabinets, bathroom vanity, and paneling, stating that those are long term damages due to the fact that the water ran for more than fourteen days. They are using the following seepage exclusion endorsement: