Destroyed inground pool - insurance ?

[msmama]

Pre question caveat - I will obviously call my insurance co, but unfortunately it's Friday after business hours so not until Monday.

This winter did a number on my inground pool. Apparently the liner gave out (it was old and I knew it'd need to be replaced in a year or two), water drained, and now the walls are caving in, taking with it a good bit of the brickwork surround. It looks like I have a giant sink hole in my backyard and as the snow continues to melt it's getting worse.

May be a silly question, but can I (should I) file a home insurance claim for this? My policy does cover "other structures." That said, I don't want my insurance rates going up either (I have had one previous claim, after Sandy, but it was with another insurance company - not sure if they share info).

I'm not sure if this is something they will cover. The info I can find online leads to "maybe." While I wait through the weekend I was just wondering if anyone else had gone through something like this. Thanks!!

(Positive redoing a pool stories are welcome, too!!)

 

[GusGus77]

Most likely you won't have coverage on the pool unless you have have specific coverage for it. I know our insurance would not cover our hot tub. It is worth just calling your agent Monday and inquiring. Stress to begin with you are NOT filing a claim so nothing goes into the system. A good agent should be able to tell you if and how much it will effect your insurance rates if it is covered.

 

[kymom99]

Are you sure your company doesn't have Saturday hours? Some do.

 

[tvguy]

If you have a liner, I don't think you have what most insurance companies would consider a permanent, in ground pool. While you may have a hefty loss in landscaping, I don't think they consider that a permanent structure.

 

[lauradis]

If you have a liner, I don't think you have what most insurance companies would consider a permanent, in ground pool. While you may have a hefty loss in landscaping, I don't think they consider that a permanent structure.

Our was listed as a permanent structure. Tree fell on the walk on cover and ripped it and took out part of the fence and killed 3 bushes. Insurance company paid for all damage minus deductible.

Funny that was 6 years ago and this spring we are filling the darn thing up with dirt.

Woo hoo death to the money/time sucking pool Happy dance.

 

[Imhere]

Our was listed as a permanent structure. Tree fell on the walk on cover and ripped it and took out part of the fence and killed 3 bushes. Insurance company paid for all damage minus deductible.

Funny that was 6 years ago and this spring we are filling the darn thing up with dirt.

Woo hoo death to the money/time sucking pool Happy dance.

Insurance commonly looks at a tree falling as an 'event' that caused the damage and they cover it.

When a pool deteriorates over time and the liner 'gives out' and the walls 'cave in' they look at that as a maintenance issue and it frequently isn't covered.

All coverages are different though, so make a claim and see if you are covered.

 

[DVC-Don]

Maintenance issue. Insurance does not cover anything that just wears out.

 

[sookie]

And this is why I don't own a house with a pool anymore!


When we did, we had a pool rider and umbrella coverage in case someone got hurt. And lots of locks and a tall privacy fence. And a cover. And an alarm.

Can you tell that I wasn't a huge fan?

 

[tvguy]

And this is why I don't own a house with a pool anymore!


When we did, we had a pool rider and umbrella coverage in case someone got hurt. And lots of locks and a tall privacy fence. And a cover. And an alarm.

Can you tell that I wasn't a huge fan?

DW grew up with a pool and when we went to buy a house 31 years ago she would not even consider a house with a pool. Said pools were a nightmare. When my MIL passed away, I got a taste of pool ownership for the 3 months before we sold her house. Even with a pool service, and a cover on it, leaves had to be fished out every day.

 

[LoveBWVVBR]

Whether insurance would cover it or not, I wouldn't even make a call to the insurance company. Even calls are documented from what I understand. If you already have a previous claim, those ARE documented via a system whose name I cannot recall right now. I would not make another claim unless it was a catastrophic loss of the home itself. Small claims can add up to VERY high premiums or to making you uninsurable. I live in Coastal FL so these things are very real concerns here.

In the case of what you are describing, I'd have the pool filled in. If I still wanted a pool, I'd buy one of those $500 Intex "temporary structure" pools. We had a few of them before buying a house with an inground pool and they were great...way less hassle, totally enjoyable. Unless you live in a hot-weather state, a pool is an attractive nuisance. It detracts from property value in all but a select few states. Filling it in would be a plus if you ever went to sell the home.

 

[MillauFr]

What I can't understand is why people have outdoor pools in Seattle. It almost never gets hot here and I'm sure they cost a fortune to heat. Florida, Arizona, Texas ... maybe, but Seattle???

 

[Gigi22]

What I can't understand is why people have outdoor pools in Seattle. It almost never gets hot here and I'm sure they cost a fortune to heat. Florida, Arizona, Texas ... maybe, but Seattle???

Sigh. I am in central Canada. We get cold, snowy winters and warm summers with a varying number of really hot, humid days. There are a couple of people on my street with in ground pools. I find it an unnecessary expense, but it depends what you value. Thing is, pools are not considered to add value to a property. Real estate agents advise house sellers to fill in a pool before selling.

 

[sookie]

DW grew up with a pool and when we went to buy a house 31 years ago she would not even consider a house with a pool. Said pools were a nightmare. When my MIL passed away, I got a taste of pool ownership for the 3 months before we sold her house. Even with a pool service, and a cover on it, leaves had to be fished out every day.

We did not have a liner pool but a gunite pool - and those still have their problems. For instance, if you don't keep a pool filled properly or just say to heck with it and stop using or maintaining it, the pool itself can start to rise out of the ground. Then you have pipe and pump issues.

Pools are just too much to handle for many people; other people just love them.

Since the pool was drained with the damage, I think that makes the situation worse. Sometimes, ground water and the ground around your pool can cause pressure on the walls of the pool, causing it to collapse if it is left drained, even partially. When drained, there isn't pressure against the walls or enough weight to cause the pool to stop rising or being pushed out of the ground. Financially, it may be better to just have it removed and fill it in.

 

[bumbershoot]

What I can't understand is why people have outdoor pools in Seattle. It almost never gets hot here and I'm sure they cost a fortune to heat. Florida, Arizona, Texas ... maybe, but Seattle???

Because they want to swim? I know two people who bought houses with pools right near tacoma, and they enjoy them thoroughly in the summer. They both keep very specific seasons for the pools and have their off season care plans for the closed pools. They have people over often and it's great fun for then and their friends.

Being a friend invited for multiple swim days last summer, I'm confused about how it never gets hot here. Last summer was pretty nice! And the pool invitations made it even nicer.

 

[wdwmom0f3]

We have an in ground pool with a liner and I would love to fill it in with dirt and be done with it. It's a huge waste of money for me because my kids never swim anymore. Does anyone have any idea how much it costs to fill one in?

 

[DANAW]

If it just wore out, it wont be covered. We had a huge branch fall and rip our liner. We had to have the walls braced, so they wouldnt collapse, have the walls redone, new liner, even new concrete had to be poured. Cost the insurance company was over $22,000. Insurance companies all pull CLUE reports. What one company paid to you will very likely be shown on the the CLUE report no matter which company pulls the report. Also, most companies look at the last 5 years of previous claims.

 

[Eastern]

Whether insurance would cover it or not, I wouldn't even make a call to the insurance company. Even calls are documented from what I understand. If you already have a previous claim, those ARE documented via a system whose name I cannot recall right now. I would not make another claim unless it was a catastrophic loss of the home itself. Small claims can add up to VERY high premiums or to making you uninsurable.

This happened to both me and my mother. Called to 'inquire' and then treated like we had made a claim. Now it shows up on our list of claims going back over 10 years.

 

[Eastern]

We have an in ground pool with a liner and I would love to fill it in with dirt and be done with it. It's a huge waste of money for me because my kids never swim anymore. Does anyone have any idea how much it costs to fill one in?

I would love to know too

 

[LoveBWVVBR]

We have an in ground pool with a liner and I would love to fill it in with dirt and be done with it. It's a huge waste of money for me because my kids never swim anymore. Does anyone have any idea how much it costs to fill one in?

It probably depends on where you live, but it can't be that bad...I'd guess under 2K. My friend buys and sells houses for a living, and I know she has had to fill in pools. It didn't sound like a big deal or expense. Fixing the pool would have been way more $$.

 

[sookie]

I wonder how much of your damage was from Sandy?