One of the most frequent and well known causes of home insurance claims is water damage. It is not a pleasant experience to discover that not everything in your home insurance policy is covered, but it happens nonetheless. If an appliance such as a dishwasher begins to leak uncontrollably on a floor, or a pipe somehow bursts due to poor insulation during the winter and there is damage and mold left behind as a result, it is important to find out whether or not your insurance will cover it.
If a pipe was to burst during the winter while you were on vacation and you had not properly insulated it from the cold, you most likely will not be covered due to lack of preparation that would have helped to prevent this from happening in the first place.
You should be covered for any water damage caused by the seemingly disregardable act of letting your bathtub overflow, even if you were on the phone or cooking and not paying much attention and forgot to simply turn off the bath water. This accident is a fairly common occurrence.
Even in the common cases of a household appliance such as a dishwasher or washing machine suddenly malfunctioning and water gets all over the floor causing water damage, homeowner’s insurance will definitely cover this. Of course, you must pay for the necessary repairs on the machine on your own, but damage caused solely by the water is paid for by your insurance policy.
If the cause of the water damage is a leaky roof, and there is a heavy rain, you are covered by your insurance claim. You are also covered if rain seeps into your basement, if your basement floods into the basement and into the house itself. If a tree limb was to break off and damage your home and water damage to the structure resulted, then this would also be covered.
However, any water damage that may have been caused by a flood is not likely to be covered unless your insurance policy identifies a flood as a covered source of damage to your home. You must purchase flood insurance directly from the federal government, and your local community should be able to help you acquire any information as to whether they are a participant in the National Flood Insurance Program.
Jim Corkern is a writer and respected contributor to the Water damage restoration and mold remediation Industry. Visit his sites for more information.
http://www.floodchicago.info
http://www.damagewatersc.info
Saturday, September 29, 2007
Mold in History
Some historians speculate today that a disease called ergot or ergotism (food poisoning caused by mold) overran the population of Europe for approximately 500 years. Most sources say that the fungus responsible for this long term epidemic belongs to the genus Claviceps and some say that species in the genus Fusarium are also responsible. These genera infected rye grain kernels both before and after the harvest and produced alkaloids (such as ergotamine).
Poor people in Europe at the time lived on rye bread and not a lot else and so these people were the most at risk for infection. Pregnant women miscarried their babies and even after they were born, children still died from this and those who lived suffered from different chronic illnesses, including mental disorders. The hallucinations and seizures that they suffered were often attributed to magic or possession or even in some cases as divine inspiration. When rye was replaced with wheat and potatoes, the epidemic began to subside.
It seems that rich and well to do households were never affected as much as lower income households. It is said that Ergot was the cause of the low birth and high death rates in Europe between the year 1250 and 1750 and also that Ergot planted the seeds of the Salem witch trials. Settlers of Massachusetts planted rye and it was a regular part of their diet and they experienced just as many hallucinations and seizures as the Europeans who ate it. Ergotism has been slowing the population growth of countries even as recently as 1945, when it was discovered to exist in Russia.
Mold is chronicled in the Bible as being an unclean substance and a building contaminated with it is unsafe to be in for any length of time. The rabbis of the time inspected homes and acted as health officials on a regular basis in ancient times and it was said that any building materials or clothing that had been contaminated with mold or mildew had to be disposed of in a place away from town designated for the disposal of such items. Clothing contaminated with mold was supposed to be burned. Homes infected were torn down, rebuilt, and watched closely to see if the infection returned and this is not very different from how we treat mold contaminated homes today.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
South Carolina Water Damage Restoration and and other states such as
Chicago Water Damage Restoration companies across the united states.
Poor people in Europe at the time lived on rye bread and not a lot else and so these people were the most at risk for infection. Pregnant women miscarried their babies and even after they were born, children still died from this and those who lived suffered from different chronic illnesses, including mental disorders. The hallucinations and seizures that they suffered were often attributed to magic or possession or even in some cases as divine inspiration. When rye was replaced with wheat and potatoes, the epidemic began to subside.
It seems that rich and well to do households were never affected as much as lower income households. It is said that Ergot was the cause of the low birth and high death rates in Europe between the year 1250 and 1750 and also that Ergot planted the seeds of the Salem witch trials. Settlers of Massachusetts planted rye and it was a regular part of their diet and they experienced just as many hallucinations and seizures as the Europeans who ate it. Ergotism has been slowing the population growth of countries even as recently as 1945, when it was discovered to exist in Russia.
Mold is chronicled in the Bible as being an unclean substance and a building contaminated with it is unsafe to be in for any length of time. The rabbis of the time inspected homes and acted as health officials on a regular basis in ancient times and it was said that any building materials or clothing that had been contaminated with mold or mildew had to be disposed of in a place away from town designated for the disposal of such items. Clothing contaminated with mold was supposed to be burned. Homes infected were torn down, rebuilt, and watched closely to see if the infection returned and this is not very different from how we treat mold contaminated homes today.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
South Carolina Water Damage Restoration and and other states such as
Chicago Water Damage Restoration companies across the united states.
Mold and Real Estate
One could write a nearly endless list of ideal situations to sell a house under. One situation, however, that would not be on that list is selling a house contaminated with mold. However, there are ways to make selling a mold contaminated home a little bit less difficult.
There should be an environmental inspection clause for a two week to a three week inspection period in any real estate sales contract so that the buy is able to have a professional mold inspector view the property and test it for any mold or any other possible hazards that could take place in or around the home and its respective land. If mold is detected, the only real testing that is necessary is a test that determines whether or not the mold is toxic. If the mold isn’t toxic, you are not out of the red just yet, as the mold can bring the structural endurance of the home into jeopardy. It is important that you have this mold removed as soon as possible, if at all possible. This will help selling in the selling of the home, and makes it easier to either up the price of the home, or decrease the price.
It is also important that you do not make any attempts whatsoever to hide any mold problems that may be in the home, on account of the fact that the potential buyer may back out if they realize that there is indeed a mold infestation. They may also suspect you of being dishonest of other things about the home if you try this method of shady business transactions.
It is important that the potential buyer has in writing that there may be a mold problem, and what measures have or have not been taken at this point to remedy the infestation. All information on possible mold damage should also be disclosed so that it is legally documented that the buyer knew about the problem when the home was purchased. This helps to exemplify you from possible lawsuits. You should also include in the contract that the home is sold as-is and whether or not there is a warranty on the property in relation to the environment.
It is also recommended that you ask for a clause exemplifying you, your real estate agent, and your lender for any and all liability in relation of mold to the buyer of the home. If you have listed the complete information on any past mold and water damage the home has seen and the measures taken to remedy the situation, you will be fine in terms of legality of the sale.
Jim Corkern is a writer and respected contributor to the Water damage restoration and mold remediation Industry. Visit his sites for more information.
http://www.localrestoration.com and
http://www.moldrestorationusa.com
There should be an environmental inspection clause for a two week to a three week inspection period in any real estate sales contract so that the buy is able to have a professional mold inspector view the property and test it for any mold or any other possible hazards that could take place in or around the home and its respective land. If mold is detected, the only real testing that is necessary is a test that determines whether or not the mold is toxic. If the mold isn’t toxic, you are not out of the red just yet, as the mold can bring the structural endurance of the home into jeopardy. It is important that you have this mold removed as soon as possible, if at all possible. This will help selling in the selling of the home, and makes it easier to either up the price of the home, or decrease the price.
It is also important that you do not make any attempts whatsoever to hide any mold problems that may be in the home, on account of the fact that the potential buyer may back out if they realize that there is indeed a mold infestation. They may also suspect you of being dishonest of other things about the home if you try this method of shady business transactions.
It is important that the potential buyer has in writing that there may be a mold problem, and what measures have or have not been taken at this point to remedy the infestation. All information on possible mold damage should also be disclosed so that it is legally documented that the buyer knew about the problem when the home was purchased. This helps to exemplify you from possible lawsuits. You should also include in the contract that the home is sold as-is and whether or not there is a warranty on the property in relation to the environment.
It is also recommended that you ask for a clause exemplifying you, your real estate agent, and your lender for any and all liability in relation of mold to the buyer of the home. If you have listed the complete information on any past mold and water damage the home has seen and the measures taken to remedy the situation, you will be fine in terms of legality of the sale.
Jim Corkern is a writer and respected contributor to the Water damage restoration and mold remediation Industry. Visit his sites for more information.
http://www.localrestoration.com and
http://www.moldrestorationusa.com
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