Homeowner Insurance: Are You Prepared in Case of a Loss?
Before we purchased our home in 2008, we had to have proof of insurance before closing. When I looked over the policy, I felt the payouts for structure and contents were high, but, I felt comfortable knowing we would be covered, in case of a loss.
Fast forward to October 12, 2018. Our home caught on fire and it was a total loss. It was only then that we began to understand and were thankful that the coverage was what it was! There were items in our policy we weren’t aware of that were in there!
Disclaimer: Not all policies or insurance companies have the same coverage!
We learned that because we were self-employed, we could be reimbursed so much for office equipment, such as computers and printers. It is important if you are self-employed to check what, if any, coverage you may receive.
Even if you don’t own your home, and are renting or leasing, you should still get insurance. Sure, the landlord SHOULD have insurance on their dwellings; but, their insurance will not cover the loss of your contents! If you don’t have renter’s insurance, please check with local insurance companies for competitive rates and coverage. You may spend a little more for better coverage; but, in the long run, you’ll be glad you did!
A couple of things I would advise you to do are the following:
Sit down with your agent and go over your coverage!
He or she will be able to break down everything in your policy and explain them to you. At this point, if he or she feels that you’re not fully covered (perhaps your policy is old), you can decide if you need to update your policy. You don’t want to have something terrible happen to your home or apartment, only to find out you aren’t covered enough, or their policy doesn’t cover certain things in your possessions. Double-check with them if there is coverage for loss of important documents (birth certificates, marriage licenses, etc.)
Take inventory of all major content items, like major appliances and furniture!
If you have the owner’s manuals for major appliances and other equipment, put them in a safe or a fireproof container. Take pictures of those documents and the items themselves, and store them in your email, or on a flash drive. You can still photograph them in case you don’t have those documents. Now maybe a time to declutter by getting rid of things, or, putting them in storage bins, labeled and photographed. Note: You CAN email them to yourself, in case you did not know this!
The quicker you take action, the more at ease you’ll feel. Nobody wants to go through a loss like a fire, and then have to try to remember every little thing that was in your home. A thorough inventory with photos will bring you peace of mind, as well as immensely help the contents adjuster if you have two separate adjusters (contents and structure). This was something we were not aware of, so we had been dealing with two people when it came to our house.
Tip: If you aren’t sure what’s covered by structure or content, imagine you can pick your home up and flip it upside down. Everything that falls is contents, and what stays is structure.
It is never too late to start conducting an inventory and documentation process. The more detailed, the better. It’ll be too late if you put it off and something happens! Remember, you don’t have to “eat the whole elephant in one day”. If you have a lot of stuff, take a room or two at a time. Label the rooms on a flash drive beforehand.
This is good to keep in mind. I am prepared thanks to USAA. We have our home insurance through them just in case something happens!
It’s so important to have pictures and video of your home items to get replacement of them.
This post is a real wake up call. Who reads the fine print and knows what is and is not covered by insurance. I have to get to my agent and go over things soon.
Thanks for creating this post. This is great information to keep in mind as a homeowner.
Great post..! Thanks for sharing the knowledge,I will definitely share this to others.
Thanks for sharing this! I definitely need to start taking picture and a video to keep just in case.
Wow, that is so scary to lose your home. We are insured and have even collected on hail storm damage. It is good to be covered and protected.
This is such an important topic! It makes me so sad when I hear of families who lose everything in a fire or something, and don’t have insurance to cover it. It’s really inexpensive, for the reassurance it gives!
This is a must for every homeowner. Although it took a while for us to convince our mom to get insurance for her home, she did realize how important it is. You will not mind the price you are paying because it gives you so much peace of mind in return.
I think this is such an important topic. I have the insurance myself, and I don’t know what I’d do without it. I think everyone should have homeowners insurance always.
This is a such an important reminder. We just recently sat down and did this and added a rider policy to our home owners insurance policy.
I’ve never thought about a homeowner insurance. But I think you made me think seriously about it!
I’ve recently done a photo inventory for my parents of all the art in their home. Some insurance policies are only valid if you set your alarm.
Yes good homeowner insurance is always best thing. My hubby always look for the coverage.
This is surely a must-read! I will definitely share this with my husband and discuss this matter with him. Thanks for sharing!
So sorry to hear that your home was a total loss. Thank goodness you had insurance. This is a warning to any homeowner or renter. Taking photos helps a lot too.!!
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Very important topic. Most people are underinsured.
I learned this the hard way when we lost everything in a fire when I was young . My parents had no insurance we had to start all over .
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