What happens if a plumber floods your house?

Stop the water, protect the evidence and start drying. The general flood checklist (power safety, shutoffs, sewage) is on our page about what to do first after a flood or major leak. When a plumber's work is the cause, a few extra steps matter:

1. 1Shut off the water at the main, or at the valve on the line that failed. Keep clear of water near outlets or the electrical panel.
2. 2Photograph and video before you move anything: the failed fitting or line, standing water, wet walls, ceilings and belongings. The Insurance Information Institute (III) puts it this way in its claim steps: "Photograph or videotape the damage, then take reasonable steps to protect your property from further damage."
3. 3Keep the failed part. If a supply line, fitting or valve let go, bag it and label it with the date. It's your best evidence of what happened.
4. 4Hold on to damaged items. III says: "If possible, avoid throwing out damaged items until the adjuster has visited your home." It also says to save receipts for what you spend, since you may be able to submit them for reimbursement later.
5. 5Start drying right away. The EPA says: "It is important to dry water-damaged areas and items within 24-48 hours to prevent mold growth." On the same page it adds: "If wet or damp materials or areas are dried 24-48 hours after a leak or spill happens, in most cases mold will not grow."
6. 6Tell the plumber in writing, the same day if you can. A text or email with the date, what failed and a few photos is enough to start. Keep a copy.

If the water came from a drain or sewer line, treat it as contaminated. The EPA's mold cleanup guidance says: "If the water and/or mold damage was caused by sewage or other contaminated water, then call in a professional who has experience cleaning and fixing buildings damaged by contaminated water."

Shut it off, shoot it, save it, dry it, and put it in writing. That's the first day handled.

If the plumber's work caused the damage, the plumber is the natural party to ask to pay, but the money often moves through insurance. There are two common routes, and which one fits depends on how big the damage is and how the plumber responds.

Route 1: the plumber or the plumber's insurer pays directly. Ask the plumber for their business name, ROC license number and insurance details. For a small leak, a plumber may fix the line and cover the drywall repair. For anything bigger, get the deal in writing: who handles the drying, who does the repairs, and when. A handshake promise is hard to enforce three weeks later when the baseboards start to swell.

Route 2: your homeowners insurance pays, then seeks recovery. This can move faster when a lot of water is involved, because you aren't waiting on someone else's insurer. III's homeowners Q&A asks, "A pipe bursts and water flows all over my floors. Am I covered?" and answers: "Yes. The HO-3 covers you for accidental discharge of water from a plumbing system." The HO-3 is the most common homeowners form in the U.S., according to the same III page. It also notes that some older policies give less coverage and "may not provide coverage for water damage, theft, or liability." Check which form you have.

After your insurer pays, it can step into your shoes and pursue the plumber. That's called subrogation. The sample HO-3 policy says: "If not waived, we may require an assignment of rights of recovery for a loss to the extent that payment is made by us." It also says that if an assignment is sought, the insured "must sign and deliver all related papers and cooperate with us." So keep your photos, the failed part and your messages with the plumber organized. If the insurer recovers money from the plumber, ask your agent whether any of your deductible comes back to you.

For the claim itself, see how to file a water damage insurance claim.

The short version: the resulting water damage is the part a standard HO-3 is built to cover. The bad workmanship itself is a different matter. Here's how the sample policy lays it out.

The water damage. Unless the loss is otherwise excluded, the sample HO-3 covers loss to the house and other structures resulting from "an accidental discharge or overflow of water or steam from within a" plumbing, heating, air conditioning or automatic fire protective sprinkler system or household appliance on the residence premises. That's the wet drywall, flooring and cabinets.

Opening walls to reach the leak. The same section says this "includes the cost to tear out and replace any part of a building, or other structure," on the residence premises, but only when that's necessary to repair the system or appliance.

The pipe or part that failed. The same section then says: "We do not cover loss to the system or appliance from which this water or steam escaped." So the fitting, valve or supply line itself is a repair question for whoever installed it, not the policy.

Faulty workmanship. The sample policy lists faulty, inadequate or defective "Design, specifications, workmanship, repair, construction, renovation, remodeling" among its exclusions, and then says: "However, any ensuing loss to property described in Coverages A and B not precluded by any other provision in this policy is covered." So the botched work isn't covered, but water damage that follows from it may be, unless another provision rules it out.

Your duties. The sample policy's duties after a loss include "Give prompt notice to us or our agent" and "Protect the property from further damage." If repairs are needed, you must "Make reasonable and necessary repairs to protect the property" and "Keep an accurate record of repair expenses." Waiting days to call your insurer because you're negotiating with the plumber can hurt a claim, so notify early even if you hope the plumber pays.

### What if the leak was slow, not sudden?

Coverage gets harder. III's answer about water that seeps into a basement from the ground says: "Seepage is viewed as a maintenance issue and is not covered by insurance." That answer is about groundwater, not a plumbing fitting, but it shows how insurers treat slow water problems as maintenance. Policy forms differ on long-running leaks, so ask your agent how yours handles one. Either way, write down the timeline: when the work was done, when you first saw water, and when you called. See whether homeowners insurance covers plumbing repairs for more on the line between damage and repair.

If the plumber holds an Arizona contractor license, you can file a written complaint with the ROC. Under A.R.S. 32-1154, the registrar "Shall investigate the acts of a contractor in this state on the written complaint of any owner or contractor that is a party to a construction contract or a person who suffers a material loss or injury as a result of a contractor's failure to perform work in a professional and workmanlike manner or in accordance with any applicable building codes and professional industry standards." The same statute counts an oral agreement as a construction contract for this purpose.

The contractor gets a chance to look at the work. Under A.R.S. 32-1155, the registrar may not issue a citation for poor workmanship if either "The contractor is not provided an opportunity to inspect the work within fifteen days after receiving a written notice from the registrar" or "The contractor's work has been subject to neglect, modification or abnormal use." The statute also says the registrar "may investigate the complaint without waiting fifteen days."

That's why the failed part and your photos matter. Make the repairs needed to stop the damage, which your policy expects anyway, but don't throw out the evidence. If another plumber replaces the failed section, ask them to hand you the old part and note in writing what they found.

Timing matters too. A.R.S. 32-1162 says that for projects other than new home builds or new building construction, a complaint must be filed "within two years after the completion of the specific project." Our page on how to file a complaint against a contractor in Arizona walks through the steps.

### Can the Recovery Fund help?

Sometimes. A.R.S. 32-1132 sets up the Residential Contractors' Recovery Fund "for the benefit of claimants that are damaged by an act, representation, transaction or conduct of a residential contractor that is licensed pursuant to this chapter and that is in violation of this chapter or the rules adopted pursuant to this chapter." Both conditions apply: a licensed residential contractor, and a violation of the contractor statutes or ROC rules.

Eligibility is limited. An individual claimant must own the damaged residential property and "Actually occupies or intends to occupy" it "as the individual's primary residence." The statute also lists certain LLCs, revocable living trusts, planned communities and unit owners' associations, and lessees, each with its own conditions. And the contractor must have been "appropriately licensed" on the date the contract was signed, the date of the first payment, or the date the work first started. See how to claim from the ROC Recovery Fund.

### What if the plumber was unlicensed?

Then your options shrink. The Recovery Fund is off the table, because 32-1132 requires a contractor that was appropriately licensed, and the ROC citation process in 32-1155 is written around a licensee. Your homeowners insurance and a civil claim become the main routes, and an unlicensed worker may have no insurance to recover from.

That's one of the biggest practical reasons to check a license before work starts. See how to verify a plumber's ROC license and licensed contractor vs handyman in Arizona. If the leak came from a commercial building rather than a home, the handoff between trades is different; see who handles a commercial leak after the plumber stops the water.

A fresh job can leak in a few familiar ways: a supply line connected but not fully tightened, a cap left off a stub-out, a water heater drain valve left cracked open, or a line pressurized with nobody watching it. A few habits help, whoever does the work:

• Know where your main shutoff is before work starts, and make sure it turns.
• Ask the plumber to walk you through what was turned back on before they leave.
• Check under sinks and around the water heater an hour after the job and again the next morning.
• Watch the water meter with every fixture off. If it moves, something is running.
• Get the plumber's license number and business name on the invoice, so you can reach them, and the ROC, if something goes wrong later.

HQ Plumbing & Air finds and repairs leaks across the Phoenix area, 24/7. We're licensed and insured, with free estimates and upfront pricing. If you need a second plumber to stop a leak and repair a failed connection, see our residential plumbing services.