Heavy Rain and Flooding in Sarıyer: Protecting Your Home and Car with Insurance

Sarıyer combines very different kinds of terrain: Bosphorus neighbourhoods, streets built on slopes, wooded areas and settlements on the Black Sea side. Sloping roads, stream valleys and low-lying spots near the shore all influence where water collects during heavy rain. Without referring to any particular event or street, this guide explains in general terms how to protect your home and car against heavy rain and flooding from an insurance point of view.

Types of water damage: not all water is covered the same way

For insurers, water damage is not a single item. Policies may treat water differently depending on where it came from:

• Plumbing leaks: a burst pipe, an overflowing washing machine or a leaking heating system inside the building.
• Rainwater: water entering through the roof, gutters or window frames.
• Flood and inundation: water coming from outside after heavy rain, an overflowing stream or sewage backing up.
• Water from a neighbour: a leak from the flat above and the liability questions it raises.

Which of these your policy covers, and on what conditions, varies between insurers. Plumbing leaks may be covered while flood is a separate cover or subject to specific conditions, so look for each item in your cover table.

What to check in your home insurance

When reviewing your home insurance with heavy rain in mind, look for answers to these questions:

1. Does my policy include flood cover, and on what conditions?
2. Are belongings in a basement, ground floor, storage room or garage covered?
3. Is my contents value close to the real value? Underinsurance can reduce a claim payment.
4. Are the building and contents values each stated correctly?
5. Is there liability cover for damage I cause to neighbours?

These questions matter most for garden-level flats, ground floors and homes with basements. If you rent, the building is the landlord’s responsibility, but you need your own policy for your belongings. Note that DASK (compulsory earthquake insurance) covers earthquake damage to the building and is not a flood policy.

For the first hours after water gets into your home, see our guide on water damage at home.

Your car: kasko and flooding

Compulsory traffic insurance covers damage you cause to others; it does not pay for flood damage to your own car. For that you need kasko (comprehensive motor insurance). Not every kasko policy treats flood the same way: in some it is an add-on or subject to conditions. In your comprehensive car insurance, check:

• Is flood and inundation cover clearly stated?
• Is there a special condition about engine damage caused by starting the car in water?
• Are there extra conditions for natural events while the car is parked?
• Are towing and roadside assistance included after a loss?

Practical precautions for your car

Avoid driving into flooded roads, do not park in stream beds or low spots where water gathers, and do not try to start a car that has been in water. Starting it can cause further engine damage, and how this is treated depends on your policy. Leave the car where it is and call your insurer’s roadside assistance line. On days with heavy rain warnings, parking on higher, safer ground is a simple step that helps.

Step by step when water damage happens

1. Put safety first; if water has reached the electrics, switch off the mains.
2. Take photos and videos before cleaning up or throwing anything away.
3. Report the loss to your insurer or agency promptly.
4. Take reasonable steps to stop the damage getting worse, but do not start permanent repairs before the loss adjuster’s inspection.
5. Gather invoices and a list of damaged items.

Before anything happens

Insurance helps you recover from a loss, but preventing it is better. Before the rainy season, have gutters and drains cleaned, lift valuable items in the basement off the floor, keep important documents in a waterproof box and photograph your belongings in advance. In apartment buildings, raise drainage maintenance with the building management. If your business is on a ground floor or basement, do the same check for stock and equipment; move goods onto shelves and review where electrical panels and servers sit. Flood conditions in business policies also vary.

To review flood cover in your home and kasko policies together, call +90 530 375 89 61 or send your policies on WhatsApp, with support in English. We will compare cover from several insurers with you.