Once again the country is freezing cold and in many places snowy. As temperatures in many places hit the single digits with severe wind chill factors, we once again look at the issues we know will be turning up for many.
Frozen pipes are always an issue, especially if the insured loses power. The standard homeowners policy requires the insured to maintain heat in the dwelling in order for frozen pipes to be covered. What happens when the insured cannot keep the pipe warm because of the power company? The homeowners policy will provide coverage. A loss of power is not the fault of the insured; it is not the insured turning the thermostat too low when going to Florida for the winter or otherwise not winterizing the house in some way.
Remember, heat should never be set below 55 degrees in order to prevent pipes from freezing. Having said that, in areas where homes may not be well insulated, even keeping the heat running, opening the cupboards and keeping the water dripping in severely cold temperatures may not be enough to prevent frozen pipes. As long as the insured is responsible and does his best to keep things warm, there should be coverage.
An important distinction needs to be made here. For normal accidental discharge from pipes behind the walls, the cost to tear out the walls to get to the pipes is covered; the cost to repair the pipes however, is not. But we're talking about freezing, which is handled differently. Freezing is excluded unless the insured maintained heat in the dwelling; when the heat fails because of something beyond the insured's control, even the broken pipes should be covered. Personal property is covered also, as accidental discharge is a named peril under Coverage C.
The commercial property causes of loss special form, CP 10 30, has similar wording to the homeowners form; freezing is excluded unless the insured did her best to maintain heat in the building, or drained the pipes and shut off the water supply. This is just one of many issues common in the winter - below we've complied some of our articles and questions dealing with these topics.
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For a scientific article on just what the polar vortex is: Has the Polar Vortex Arrived? What is it?
Q&As: