Sewer and Water Backup Claims in Florida
Sewage or waste water has come back up into the house — and whether the policy pays for it usually turns on a single endorsement most people do not know they do or do not have.
Florida property insurance claims: the deadlines and the fee cap
- Notice of a claim
- Under Fla. Stat. §627.70132, a property insurance claim or reopened claim is barred unless notice was given to the insurer within 1 year after the date of loss. A supplemental claim is barred unless notice was given within 18 months after the date of loss. — Fla. Stat. §627.70132(2)
- Time to bring a court action
- An action for breach of a property insurance contract must be brought within 5 years, running from the date of loss. This is a separate clock from the notice deadline, and §627.70132(5) states that the notice statute does not affect it. — Fla. Stat. §95.11(2)(e)
- What a public adjuster may charge
- A public adjuster’s compensation is capped at 20 percent of the amount of insurance claim payments or settlements, exclusive of attorney fees and costs, paid to the insured by the insurer. For claims based on events that are the subject of a declaration of a state of emergency by the Governor the cap is 10 percent, and that limit applies to claims made during the year after the declaration of emergency. — Fla. Stat. §626.854(11)(b)
- Which deadline applies to you
- Which of these applies to your claim depends on your policy and your date of loss.
Public Loss Adjusters, LLC — Robert Mack, Florida public adjuster, Lic. #A161638. The review is free and carries no obligation. Call 352-353-4556.
Robert Mack — Public Loss Adjusters, LLC
Florida Public Adjuster License #A161638 · SPPA · AIC · AIC-M · CCC
How much time is left on your claim?
Florida law puts clocks on property insurance claims. Enter when the damage happened and where your claim stands.
For a hurricane, tornado, windstorm or other weather event, Florida sets the date of loss by statute — the date the hurricane made landfall, or the date the event is verified by NOAA (Fla. Stat. §627.70132(3)).
Answer the questions above to see your deadline.
Free review. No recovery, no fee.
Florida law sets a separate five-year period for lawsuits on a property insurance policy (Fla. Stat. §95.11(2)(e)). A Florida attorney can confirm how it applies to you.
Condominium and HOA loss assessment claims run on a different clock — the later of 1 year from the loss or 90 days after the association votes the assessment, and never more than 3 years (Fla. Stat. §627.70132(4)). This calculator does not cover those. Call and we will work it out with you.
Robert Mack, Licensed Public Adjuster, Lic. #A161638. Deadlines depend on your policy and date of loss. This is general information, not legal advice. Notice deadlines: Fla. Stat. §627.70132 — 1 year from the date of loss for a new or reopened claim, 18 months for a supplemental claim.
What happens next
- You call. One conversation, and you will know whether there is anything here worth looking at further.
- A free policy and loss review. We read the policy you actually hold and look at what was actually lost. No cost, no obligation.
- We deal with the insurer. If there is a claim, we take it from there. No recovery, no fee.
What clients say
★★★★★ 4.8 out of 5 across 11 Google reviews
“I came here especially to thank Robert and write a review for him (he didn’t ask me to)”
“It will seem like they are helping you out with a claim, but PLA pointed out how they were cutting corners and not paying what is really due.”
“This company was on top of my issue from the moment I called to the very end.”
“As it turned out, I didn’t use Robert. But he put in the time and effort to visit me and provide me with solid information and guidance should the insurance company not be responsive.”
Licensed Florida public adjuster — we work for you, not the insurer. Serving Lake, Orange, Osceola, Polk, Seminole, Sumter and Volusia counties.
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Why this one catches people out
A standard homeowners form typically excludes water that backs up through sewers or drains. The cover that puts it back is usually an add-on — often called water backup or sewer backup — and it normally carries its own separate limit, frequently far smaller than the rest of the policy.
So there are really three questions, and none of them is obvious from the outside: whether the endorsement is on the policy at all, what its limit is, and how the cause of the backup gets characterised. The third is where most of the argument happens.
The practical version: do not assume either way. People talk themselves out of a payable claim as often as they assume one, and both cost money. Have someone read the policy before the file settles into a position — that is the job you are hiring for.
Where it came from matters
A blockage inside the property line and one out in the municipal main are not the same claim, and they are not always handled by the same people. That distinction is routinely disputed, and it is usually decided early, on the strength of how the loss was first described. Once that is on the record it is hard to unwind.
We work for you, not the insurance company
A public adjuster works for the policyholder. We read your policy against what is actually being offered, re-document the loss, and handle the negotiation. The insurer's adjuster is competent and is doing a job — it is just not your job.
The clock, on both sides
Florida sets deadlines on the insurer as well as on you. Under Fla. Stat. 627.70131 it must acknowledge your communication within 7 days, begin investigating within 7 business days of receiving proof of loss, carry out any physical inspection within 30 days, and pay or deny within 60 days. Your own deadline is separate: under Fla. Stat. 627.70132, notice of a new or reopened claim is generally due within one year of the date of loss, and a supplemental claim within 18 months.
- Florida-licensed public adjuster, License #A161638
- Robert Mack — SPPA, AIC, AIC-M
- In the insurance industry since 1991. Public Loss Adjusters, LLC established 2019.
- PO Box 560404, Montverde, FL 34756 — on site across Lake, Orange, Osceola, Polk, Seminole, Sumter and Volusia counties
- The review is free and carries no obligation
What we will never do: promise you an outcome, tell you what your claim is worth before anyone has looked at it, or ask you to overstate a loss. Any adjuster who does is a risk to you, not an asset.
Sewer and water backup questions
Does homeowners insurance cover sewer backup?
Often only if the policy carries a water or sewer backup endorsement. A standard homeowners form typically excludes water that backs up through sewers or drains, and the endorsement that adds it back usually comes with its own separate limit - frequently much smaller than the rest of the policy. Whether yours has it, and what it says, is the first thing worth establishing. Call 352-353-4556 for a free review.
The backup came from the street, not my house. Does that change things?
It can change a great deal - where the blockage originated affects how the claim is looked at, and sometimes who you are dealing with at all. It is also one of the most commonly disputed points in these claims. Do not assume the answer either way. Call 352-353-4556 and we will look at it with you.
My claim was denied as a backup. Is that the end of it?
Not necessarily. Denials on these claims often rest on how the cause was characterised at the start, and that is exactly the kind of thing that can be re-documented and re-presented. Whether yours is one of those is what the free review answers. Call 352-353-4556.
Is septic the same as sewer for insurance?
Not always, and policies do not treat them identically. A septic backup can sit in a different part of the form from a municipal sewer backup, which is one more reason the wording matters more than the plumbing. Call 352-353-4556.
What does this cost me?
The review is free. If we take the claim, the fee is a percentage of the claim payment, capped by Fla. Stat. 626.854 at 20% ordinarily and 10% for a claim arising from a declared state of emergency within the first year. No recovery, no fee. Call 352-353-4556.
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More: what to do when a claim is denied or underpaid · water damage insurance claim help · loss of use and ALE if you are put out of the house · public adjusters in Central Florida
Public Loss Adjusters, LLC — Florida-licensed public adjuster, License #A161638. PO Box 560404, Montverde, FL 34756. On-site representation in Lake, Orange, Osceola, Polk, Seminole, Sumter and Volusia counties; remote claim work statewide. No recovery, no fee; fees are capped under Florida law. This page is educational and is not legal advice, not a guarantee of coverage, and not a promise of payment. Every claim turns on its own policy language and facts.