Is my geyser insured under homeowners policy
When you are in the market for an insurance policy being a home owner, be sure to shop around for the best deal, which allows you to claim for the cost of repairs. If your home is unlivable due to water damage etc, some policies allows you to claim for alternative rent accommodation for the time it takes to be repaired and your home become habitable again.
A comprehensive homeowner’s insurance policy should, and does, protect your home of structural damage, like fire damage, storm damage or a burst geyser. This type of insurance is compulsory if your home is mortgaged.
Most geysers only become problematic ten years or more after the house was build, leaving most home owners with their hands in their hair as they realize they never checked if their insurance covers geyser replacement or water damage. Check your policy and ask your insurance agent direct questions. If your insurance does not cover a new geyser, there are cases when a geyser will be overhauled by a certified plumber, but only if it is done by a certified & reputable plumbing company.
If you have your insurance with the same bank your house is mortgaged to, and they do not provide the cover you require, you are allowed by law to change insurance companies. Basically, there are two types of claims regarding a geyser: repair or replacement of the geyser. Do take note some insurers only offer the replacement cover.
Things that might affect your claim is that there has been negligence on your part and/or the geysers compliance (a plumbing compliance certificate would prove this) is not valid.
When claiming for a burst, broken or faulty geyser, take into consideration that the maximum South African insurance companies usually pay per geyser claim (remember to deduct the excess), is about R6000.00. When you live in a sectional title unit or apartment, please double check what is insured by your policy and what is not.
Different insurers structure their policies differently. Some work on a sliding scale, other insurance companies just opts to replace the geyser, regardless if it can be repaired, but it must be done by a certified plumber.
Many of us get confused between home insurance and household insurance. The difference seems obvious; one refers to the structure you are living in and the other the contents of that said structure. Please note that household insurance does not cover your geyser. Many consumers are under the illusion that their geysers are securely insured under their household insurance policy and are rudely awaked when they want to claim for a burst geyser. Given the fact that most homeowners does have both policies, the problem creeps in when having your geyser burst, it damages your household content possibly, thus resulting in the consumer having to possibly pay two excess amounts. Other things covered by household policies include fire (lighting & explosions too), loss or damage resultant of deliberate acts (like theft), natural disasters (storms, hail, earthquake etc), faulty water systems, impact by random acts like a falling tree or any articles dropped from above, out of your own control.