Nobody likes to walk downstairs and see water coming in their basement or even any sign of water.
Water in your basement can be very frustrating.
Water can damage your walls and your flooring, ruin your furniture and electronics and can be very stressful time for a homeowner.
If it's not cleaned up in a timely manner water can cause mold and lead to a whole bunch of other issues.
Is This Covered Under My Homeowners Policy? I would say this is one of the biggest questions that come up when someone discovers water in their home.
It might be a covered loss and it might not, it's going to most likely depend on where the water is coming from and how long has it been coming into the home.
A good rule of thumb is Water Damage is generally covered if the water comes from within the home.
In most cases, water coming in from outside the home IS NOT COVERED.
In order to be a covered loss typically the damage from the water must be a result of a sudden and accidental discharge of water such as a pipe bursting.
Damage to your floor as a result of your toilet sweating or a small drip that has been dripping for a period of time, would be an example of a situation where coverage would not be provided.
In the event that you do have water damage, you would want to remove the water as quickly as possible.
Even if the claim is not going to be covered you want to act fast.
Moisture can create a mold problem and almost every Homeowners policy does not cover mold remediation.
If you do have a policy that still covers Mold, usually there is a limit on how much is going to be covered.
Sources of Water that usually seep into basements: There are some common sources of water that tends to seep into basements.
If your experiencing water in your basement you would want to check some of the following sources.

• Groundwater (excessive rain, snow melt)
• Surface water (overflowing gutters, lawn irrigation systems)
• Storm Water backups (faulty sump pump, excessive rain)
• Sewer Backups (water coming in through floor drains, sinks, etc)

With the Sewer Backups you want to make sure that you have a Backup of Sewer and Drains endorsement on your policy.
If you do not have this endorsement and you have a claim resulting from this type of loss, it's not going to be covered.
So it's a good thing to sit down with your agent and go over your policy to make sure that your covered.
I think it was around $75.
00 per year to add it to your policy at the company I previously worked for.
What Do You Do? First, you will need to try to find the source of the water and stop it from coming into the home.
If the water is coming from inside the home, locate your main water shut off valve and get the water turned off.
Take pictures of the damage before you clean up the water so you have something to show your Insurance Claim Rep.
Your going to want to call your Insurance company as soon as possible too.
You can discuss with your agent if it's going to be a covered loss if you know the source of the water.
They will always send out a claim rep to also investigate the loss.
There are several companies out there than can help you get the water out of your home.
I personally like Service Master.
They are a great company and I had several customers use their services with great reviews.
You can check out there website at ServiceMaster(dot)com.
What are some examples of things NOT covered? As I mentioned above a good rule of thumb regarding water damage is if the water comes from within the home and is sudden and accidental, typically it will be covered.
In most cases, water coming in from outside of the home is NOT going to be covered.
Here are some more examples of things that are more than likely not going to be covered.

• Continuous or repeated seepage or leakage of water or steam which occurs over a period of time.
  This would be from things like a heating or air conditioning unit, automatic indoor sprinkler system, household appliance or plumbing system.
  Plumbing system wouldinclude, within or around any shower stall, shower bath, tub installation, or other plumbing fixture, including their walls, ceilings or floors.
  
• Water Damage caused from a flood, surface water, waves, tidal water, tsunami, overflow of a body of water, or spray from any of these regardless if driven by wind or not.
  (You can purchase Flood Insurance, but you must be in a Flood Zone in order to purchase it)
• Water Damage from sewage from outside of the homes plumbing system that enters through sewers or drains, or water which enters into and overflows from within a sump pump, sump pump well or any other system designed to remove subsurface water which is drained from the foundation area.
  (Check into the Backup of Sewer & Drains endorsement to get coverage for some of these things)
• Water Damage from water below the surface of the ground, including water which puts pressure on, or seeps or leaks through a building, sidewalk, driveway, foundation, swimming pool or other structure.
  

However, all the above mentioned things can vary from insurance company to insurance company.
Those are just some examples of things mentioned in my own homeowners policy.
You can either look at your homeowners policy booklet that's given to you or ask your agent which type of things are covered.
It's a good idea to walk around your home and make sure that all down spouts are in place.
Keep your roofs, valleys gutters and downspouts free from leaves, twigs and other litter.
Buildup could impair drainage and lead to deterioration or back ups.
Make sure that water is not collecting in these areas either, if water builds up near the base of home it can also leak or seep in through even the smallest crack in the foundation.