If water has damaged your apartment in Queens, two questions come quickly: who fixes the apartment, and who pays for your things? The honest answer to the second is that it depends on your policy and on where the water came from, and only your insurer can tell you what yours covers. What can be said is what the public sources say about floods, which questions to ask, and what a Queens tenant should do in the first days.
Queens Water Damage Restoration is an independent referral service, not a restoration company. When you send the form, your details go to an independent local restoration provider serving Queens, who can contact you, inspect and quote any work directly. You decide whether to hire them.
Floods: what the public sources say
On flooding, the federal and city sources are consistent. FEMA says homeowners and renters insurance do not typically cover flood damage. FloodSmart, the National Flood Insurance Program’s site, says most homeowners insurance does not cover flood damage and that only flood insurance covers the cost of rebuilding after a flood. FloodHelpNY, the city-focused flood information site, says flood damage to a renter’s contents is not likely to be covered by renter’s insurance, and that flood insurance would be purchased separately.
Flood has a specific meaning here. FloodSmart defines a flood as an excess of water on land that is normally dry, affecting two or more acres of land or two or more properties. A basement apartment filled by a storm that flooded the whole block is the kind of event that definition describes.
Flood insurance for renters
Renters can buy flood insurance for their belongings. FloodSmart, the NFIP’s own site, says contents coverage of up to $100,000 is available, and it describes that coverage for rental units above the lowest elevated floor, excluding subgrade basements. If you rent a basement apartment, ask an agent exactly what a policy would cover there. FloodSmart also notes that the landlord’s policy covers the structure and the landlord’s belongings, not a renter’s. FEMA also says a flood policy generally takes effect 30 days after purchase, which means it has to be bought well before a storm. FloodSmart runs a help line, listed on its site, for finding an agent or carrier.
Leaks that are not floods
A lot of water damage in apartments is not a flood: it is a leak from the unit above, a burst pipe in the wall, an overflowing appliance. Whether your renters policy covers your belongings in a case like that is a question for your insurer, and the answer can depend on the cause, the wording of your policy and any exclusions in it. Before you assume either way, check your own policy or ask your agent. Questions worth asking:
- Does my policy cover damage to my belongings from a leak or burst pipe, and from a neighbor’s apartment?
- Does it treat a sewer backup differently from a leak?
- Does it cover a hotel or other place to stay if the apartment cannot be lived in?
- What deductible applies, and what do you need from me to file?
- Is there a deadline for notice, and does it have to be in writing?
The landlord’s part
Your landlord’s duties are separate from your insurance. NYC’s Health Department says owners of buildings with three or more apartments, or of buildings of any size where a tenant has moderate or severe persistent asthma, must keep tenants’ homes free of mold, including safely repairing underlying problems like water leaks. Local Law 55 of 2018 puts the same duty in law for buildings with three or more apartments. HPD’s advice: if you see a leak or mold, notify your landlord, and if it is not fixed or the repair is not being done safely, file a complaint online or call 311.
What to do as a tenant after water damage
- Safety first. Keep away from water near outlets and switch off power only from a dry place.
- Tell the landlord or super at once, and follow up in writing so there is a dated record.
- Photograph and video everything: the source, the ceiling, walls and floor, and each damaged item.
- Keep damaged items until your insurer says you can discard them.
- Write a list of what was damaged, with rough ages and where you bought things if you know.
- Call your insurer and ask what they need, and when.
- Keep receipts for anything you pay for because of the damage.
Basement apartments
If you rent a basement apartment, plan for flooding before it happens. During Hurricane Ida, the NYC Health Department reports, ten of the fourteen people who died in the city drowned in unregulated basement apartments. Know how you would get out, keep valuables and papers off the floor, and ask your insurer about flood cover for your belongings now, given the 30-day wait.
For the restoration side, see water removal in Queens and water damage repair in Queens.
Questions people ask
Does renters insurance cover flood damage?
Typically not. FEMA says homeowners and renters insurance do not typically cover flood damage, and FloodHelpNY says a renter’s contents are not likely to be covered by renter’s insurance. Flood insurance is bought separately.
Does renters insurance cover water damage from an upstairs neighbor?
It depends on your policy and the cause. Ask your insurer directly, photograph everything and tell your landlord in writing.
Who fixes the apartment after a leak?
In buildings with three or more apartments, the owner must safely repair the leaks that cause mold. Tell the landlord; if it is not fixed, file a complaint online or call 311.
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