Freeze Claim Playbook

The Problem: The Fine Print About Your Thermostat

Most homeowners policies cover burst pipes — but only if you used 'reasonable care' to maintain heat in the building. After a freeze loss, one of the first things the adjuster asks is what temperature the thermostat was set to.

Add vacancy and unoccupancy exclusions, winterization requirements for seasonal homes, and the chaos of discovering the damage days later, and freeze claims have more traps than almost any other loss type.

The Freeze Claim Playbook maps every one of them — what the policy requires, what the adjuster will ask, and how to document that you did everything right.

What's Inside

23 pages of plain-English guidance. Here's what's inside:

• The 'reasonable care' heat requirement — what it means and how carriers test it.
• Vacancy and unoccupancy exclusions — when an empty house loses coverage, and the endorsements that fix it.
• Winterization — the steps seasonal and vacant properties need, in order.
• What the adjuster asks — thermostat settings, who checked the property, maintenance records.
• Documenting maintenance — the paper trail that proves reasonable care.
• Discovering damage late — how to handle a loss found days after the freeze.
• Mitigation after a burst pipe — shutting water off, dry-out, and saving the receipts.
• What's covered, what's not — the pipe itself vs. the water damage it caused.
• Filing steps — the claim process start to finish for freeze losses.
• Prevention checklist — the winter prep list that keeps the next freeze from becoming a claim.

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