By Ella Washington, Agency American Family Insurance

Do you know if you have the correct coverage on your home policy? When is the last time you reviewed your policy with your insurance agent? With today’s changing market, it is important to review your policy annually. Your home policy may be missing important coverage. But what exactly are you missing? Here are common coverages to discuss with your insurance agent about your home insurance:

Single Family Dwelling Homes: 

Ask your agent if you have a full Replacement Cost policy on your home or if you have an Actual Cash Value policy. The Replacement Cost Policywill offer you replacement coverage (with today’s pricing of labor and construction materials). An Actual Cash Value policy will be a depreciated amount paid, on a covered claim, and you will most likely be out of pocket for damages. 

Does your roof have a Depreciated Roof Scheduled (this is where insurance companies pay a lessor amount on your roof, depending on the age and condition of your roof, in the event of a covered claim).

Talk to your insurance agent to see if your roof has a Separate Wind or Hail Deductible. Many carriers have now mandated a separate deductible amount for claims arising from Wind or Hail damage.

Flood Insurance is not typically covered on a home policy (this can vary depending on your insurance carrier). Flood insurance is generally viewed, by insurance companies, as any ground water entering into a structure. If your home is not in a Flood Zone, you can still purchase Flood Insurance through your insurance agent.

Condos or Townhomes: 

HOAs are seeing more Special Assessments from wind/ hail claims. As a result we suggest working with your interior insurance agent to get Loss Assessment coverage to help pay for this deductible. Loss Assessment coverage is a simple endorsement that can be added to your interior insurance policy to cover insurance related HOA Special Assessments.

Some interior insurance companies are excluding Loss Assessment coverage when the claim itself is from Wind or Hail damage (call your agent to get clarification about your specific coverage). If your insurance carrier does cover Wind/Hail related Loss Assessments, be sure to ask if there is a cap on the amount of coverage they will offer (some carriers only offer $1,000 in coverage).

Because some claims are simple accidents of our own wrong doing or our tenant’s negligence, you could be liable for the HOA’s deductible. Be sure to ask your insurance agent how to add additional coverage to your policy, for the HOA’s deductible, in the event you are found negligent.

Ella Washington is a veteran insurance agent of 21 years offering transparent communication to her clients. Ella is DORA approved to educate Real Estate Agents and Community Association Managers for continuing education.