What does Homeowners Insurance Cover?

For Example; does Homeowners Insurance Cover Hail Damage to Gutters?

By: Thomas R. Reich PhD

 

What does homeowners insurance cover? Homeowner’s insurance usually does cover damage from hail, among other perils. Most policy types cover damage to the home itself, including ancillary structures, such as tool sheds and garages. But you must pay attention to coverage and deductible levels of coverage which may vary from one homeowner’s insurance policy to another. Now what about hail damage? Probably as it is a commonly covered peril in the most common policy.

However, if that hail happened during a named storm (hurricane) the deductible could be vastly different than a deductible for a claim during a summer hail storm. For this reason, we offer some things to check in your current policy and what to look for in a new Homeowners Policy.

 

Homeowners Policy Types

 

Insurance companies offer a variety of coverage levels for homeowner’s policies. These include limited coverage, which only covers structural home damage, broad coverage, which covers structural damage from an extended list of perils and personal belongings, and special policies that cover all the items of broad coverage with liability insurance and additional living expenses.

Really good policies cover amazingly diverse things like your child hitting a baseball through the neighbor’s window. If you can believe it, some policies will cover you breaking an expensive vase in a hotel lobby 5000 miles away from your home. Depending on your budget, a homeowner’s policy will also cover many forms of personal liability, say a visitor trips on a rug in your home and brakes their leg, or even cover a slip and fall of a stranger on your iced up sidewalk.

 

Homeowners Insurance Coverage’s

The most commonly issued homeowners insurance policy covers structural damages, personal belongings, liability and additional living expenses in cases of extreme damage to the covered home. Coverage for damage to gutters due to a summer hail storm falls under structural damage. Most policies do cover damage from disrepair (damage due to unexpected damage from storm or accident, fire or “Act of God” as it is sometimes called. Remember, normal home wear and tear (the gutters being 20 years old and falling apart) would probably not be covered. The insurance adjusters are trained to tell the difference between wear-and-tear damage and peril damage.

 

 

Repair Costs and Homeowners Insurance

Review your policy before storm season to determine whether it covers you for actual cash value or replacement value. Many policies include coverage for actual cash value, which pays a depreciated value based on the age and condition of the roof or gutter, Replacement value coverage pays for the full cost of the item, up to the limit in the policy, no matter the age or condition before the storm.

 

Filing a Claim with Homeowners Insurance

Contact your agent and/or insurance company as soon as a storm ends and provide your homeowners insurance policy number and a phone number where you can be contacted if your insured home is now uninhabitable. Report the damage in as much detail as possible, in pictures and words. The insurance company will assign an adjuster to the claim, this adjuster works for the insurance company and will visit the home to view the damage. It is a good idea to photograph the damage before the adjuster arrives and provide a copy of the photos to him or her.

If you are straight forward, keep good records, have pictures of your home inside and out before the storm, you will be in the best position to get full satisfaction on your claim. We also suggest every homeowner have a complete home inventory (click here to find out how), the more information and pictures of your property before the damage occurs, the easier a claim can be handled in a way that best covers your situation after the storm or fire or “Act of God”.

Riles & Allen Insurance is here to help!

If any of this is confusing, and you would not be the average customer if you did not have some questions about homeowners insurance, call a Riles and Allen agent and get answers.

Riles and Allen Insurance are local to the Central Florida area and can help you decide on the best policy for your home, your situation and within your budget. No one loves paying for insurance, but if you have the right policy, you will have the peace of mind that you will never be left without a roof over your head.  Call us today!