What is wind driven rain?
Most standard home insurance policies in Florida are written on an HO3 form. This is commonly referred to as a special coverage form or an open perils form. These policies commonly have verbiage that states that the insurance company will “insure for sudden and accidental direct loss to property”. However, every insurance policy will then outline a list of exclusions. These exclusions are super important because these are the areas of the policy that serve as the basis for denying a claim. One of these sections outlines an area that has become a hot topic in the insurance world and has been referred to as wind driven rain.
What does the exclusion say?
The exclusion says that insurance companies do not insure for losses caused by rain, snow, sleet, sand or dust to the interior of a building unless a covered peril first damages the building causing an opening in a roof or outside wall, door or window and the rain, snow, sleet, sand or dust enters through this opening.
What does this mean?
During severe storms and hurricanes, it’s common to see rain not falling straight down but instead going sideways. This wind driven rain can cause water intrusion around inadequately sealed windows, doors and even cracks in stucco. The exclusion outlined in the policy states that if the covered peril caused the opening, such as a broken window caused by flying debris during a hurricane (if your policy has hurricane coverage), and rain got into the home than coverage would typically apply. But if the rain enters through an improperly sealed wind, door or through cracks in the stucco…then there is a good chance your claim could get denied.
What should you do?
Before hurricane season gets into full swing, be certain your windows and doors are properly sealed. Also check to see if your exterior walls have any cracks that need to be sealed and tend to them accordingly. Doing a little maintenance before a storm can save you thousands of dollars after a storm. And lastly, while most carriers exclude coverage for wind driven rain, there are some carriers that have added this coverage to their standard policy. If this is an important coverage for you, make certain your agent knows so they can advise accordingly.
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