Knowing that there are options outside of the basic home policy really can matter sometimes. If you have a basement for instance, have you considered what you would do if it flooded because that is often NOT covered. Water that comes in from the surface, or flood, or that backs up through a sewer, sump, or drain or that backs up from a sump pump all of that is NOT covered on your home policy, so you may want to discuss some option for coverage there. Do you have jewelry or collectibles or a gun collection and are they covered? You may need additional coverage added to the home policy because the most high-risk personal property items are limited in coverage allowance on your standard non-endorsed homeowner's policy. Here are a few you should consider when reviewing your home insurance.
- Flood Insurance - this is required by loan if you are in a flood zone, but you can purchase in some areas.
- Earthquake Insurance - if you live in a higher risk zone you should consider this coverage
- Scheduled Personal Property - personal items of extreme value or personal value be sure to discuss with your agent.
- Water Back up - this protects you if water backs into your home from a sewer, drain, or sump pump failure and protects both structural repairs and personal property replacement so be reasonable on how much you buy.
Heather Harris
I’m Heather Gibson Harris, owner of Brookson Insurance, which I started in 2009 after a career as a claims adjuster for personal home and commercial insureds. My career has been my passion for many years, especially my time in catastrophe claim work.