How to insure an apartment from the bay, why you need civil liability, what to look for in the contract, and other common questions.

Flooding is one of the most common causes of disagreement between neighbors. It is not easy to save property that has suffered from a leak, and not every wallet is ready to cover sudden expenses. In this article, we will analyze in detail how to insure an apartment from the bay.

Does insurance help with floods

Insurance companies offer a wide variety of bay insurance. There are two main types of such contracts: 

  • protection of personal property from the gulf, 
  • protection of civil liability – in case the neighbors below also suffer from a leak.

Apartment flood insurance works the same as any other insurance. The client pays a fixed amount for possible risks, and if an insured event occurs, the company must cover losses under the contract.

Apartment flood insurance usually includes other types of property protection, such as fire or power surges. 

In one of our previous articles, we have already given calculations of how much a full renovation of an apartment after flooding can cost. According to estimates of “Mango”, the number of repairs after a serious accident is on average about 200 thousand rubles.

One of our regular clients, Maria (name has been changed at the request of the client), faced flooding. Fresh renovation in the apartment was ruined. As it turned out, the hose of the washing machine burst from the neighbor on top. While he was not at home, water continued to flood the apartment. The emergency service arrived in ten minutes, and after another five the pipes were closed throughout the house. Neglect of safety rules caused damage to three apartments. The total damage to Maria amounted to more than one hundred thousand rubles in 15 minutes. 

Unfortunately, the neighbor was not insured. But Maria, being a client of “Mango”, was not at a loss and turned to the insurance company for help. On the same day, the entire amount was transferred to her card, and after three days the repair team eliminated the consequences of the flood in the apartment.

The insurance was created in order to help in such situations. None of us are immune to sudden damage. And in order not to be left alone with problems, it is worth getting a policy in advance.

How to choose a reliable insurance 

An unscrupulous insurance company can play a cruel joke by adding unnecessary problems. Therefore, when choosing, you should be as careful as possible. What exactly needs to be done:

  • pay attention to reviews;
  • check the availability of documents and debts;
  • check the contract and insurance rules.

Let’s consider in detail each of the stages.

Customer reviews and social insurance ratings. The opinions of people who have already checked the insurance “for themselves” are a valuable resource. Most often, clients share their experience on a special platform – the People’s Rating of Insurance Companies. The Banki.ru website also allows you to study the reviews and ratings of insurance companies. 

Documents confirming the existence of the company: Charter, INN, PSRN, confirmation of registration of a legal entity, details, address, contacts.  

It is also an insurance license – confirmation that a company is allowed to deal with financial risk protection. 

You can additionally check the documents on the websites of the Central Bank of the Russian Federation, the All-Russian Union of Insurers, the Federal Tax Service of the Russian Federation, and also pay attention to the unified All-Russian Federal Register of Bankruptcy. 

The content of the contract and the Insurance Rules of the company. The contract in the insurance company contains only basic extracts from the Insurance Rules. The fact is that the main document can contain more than 30 pages, and the policy (agreement) contains only basic conditions. 

In the contract, first of all, it is necessary to pay attention to:

  • general insurance conditions;
  • limits and amounts of payments upon the occurrence of risks;
  • situations in which compensation will be paid;
  • conditions spelled out in “small print”: rules for termination of the contract and other nuances.

If any of the points raise questions or doubts, do not hesitate to ask the insurance agent. It is better to understand in advance what the property is protected from.

Before signing a contract, it is worth studying the insurance rules. Since the document is quite large, there is a practice that the client takes it to read it for several days. Most often, the rules are posted online, so there is no need to follow them to the company’s office.  

If suddenly you have already signed a contract, but change your mind – hurry up to take advantage of the “cooling period”. Within 14 days (or more, if the company has prescribed such an option in the rules), you can cancel the policy and return the funds. You can read about all the intricacies of the “cooling period” in a separate article.

 

Important points to consider when insuring against gulfs

First of all, it is important to understand what exactly is required: protection of your home and property or insurance against flooding of neighbors from below. “Mango” recommends taking comprehensive insurance, which includes civil liability, but in some cases, this may not be relevant – for example, if it is a private house. 

What the insurance will protect

When insuring a home against flooding, it is necessary to take into account what exactly will be protected: 

  • Interior finishing – all types of rough and final finishing work for the arrangement of the floor, walls and ceiling, door and window structures.
  • Movable property – household and personal items inside the premises. 
  • Civil liability – causing harm to life, health, and/or property of third parties.

Additionally, insurance of valuable items may be prescribed in the rules. This item depends on each insurance company separately. But it is worth asking what the limit on an antique vase will be in advance.

What risks will be included 

The main risk should be exposure to water. Any insurance rules have their own interpretation, but for clarity, consider the rules of “Mango Insurance”.

” The impact of a liquid is the infliction of damage to the insured property in the form of damage or destruction as a result of the impact on the insured property of a liquid in any state of aggregation that took place due to an accident.”

In simple terms, everything that suffers from water in an insured home in an accident can be an insured event. But the forgotten tap is not.

Important: there are nuances in each insured event. Feel free to ask your agent if the insurance will cover the costs for a specific example.

In “Mango” many different situations are attributed to an accident, for example, damage:

  • heating, plumbing, sewerage, fire-fighting, and other similar engineering systems;
  • devices connected to them (swimming pools, aquariums, washing machines, dishwashers, etc.). 

And:

  • accidental activation of fire protection systems located in the insurance territory, 
  • blockage of the sewage system related to common property, 
  • penetration of liquid from adjacent rooms, from the roof of the building, and inner panel seams.

Insurance limits and payments

Limits are the maximum amount that can be received as an insurance benefit. Modern insurance companies offer different rates or the ability to change the maximum payment in accordance with the amount of insurance. 

 

Let’s consider the limits on the example of the insurance company “Mango”. In the picture below, we see several options for limits: repairs, things and furniture, an apartment and things from neighbors.

You need to choose for yourself the limits that meet the goals of insurance. For example, insurance for an apartment against flooding includes the protection of repairs and furniture. If you need insurance against flooding your neighbors from below, choose civil liability as well. Having set a limit of one million, we can immediately calculate whether this amount will be enough to compensate for the flood. 

Limits can take into account the franchise, and the franchise is important. We have already written about it in a separate article , but we will briefly recall it.

A deductible is damage that the insurance owner compensates for on his own. For an insurance company, this is a benefit, since it is exempt from damages in the agreed amount.

Briefly: how to insure an apartment against flooding by neighbors

We will draw up an exact plan of action that you should follow in order to choose the most profitable insurance for yourself:

  • Decide on the purpose of insurance and what needs to be protected.
  • Choose a reliable insurance company, read reviews, check the availability of documents and a valid license.
  • Read the rules and contract.
  • Pay attention to limits, deductibles, and costs.
  • If you need insurance against flooding of neighbors, you should choose a policy with civil liability.
  • Ask the insurance employee all questions that have arisen in the process.