You have homeowners insurance because you know you have to have it. And because of it, if there’s ever damage to your home, you know you’re covered.
But do you truly know everything that your insurance covers?
This guide discusses a few types of damage that you may have not known were covered by insurance! Keep reading to learn more!
1. Additional Living Expenses (ALE)
Have you ever thought about what you would do if your home was destroyed by a tornado or a hurricane? Did you think you would be out of pocket for the cost of your hotel, the extra food expenses, and anything else from the damage?
Insurance coverage does include additional living expenses in case your home is unlivable after storm damage. They will cover any extra expenses that you would not usually incur.
If you find yourself in a hotel for a few weeks eating out at restaurants, your insurance will cover that. However, they will not cover your normal living expenses like your mortgage. If you usually buy groceries and are instead ordering food at restaurants, they will subtract your normal grocery bill from your new restaurant bill.
If this happens to your home, it is important to note that you should not be trying to find a hotel that is out of your means. ALE typically caps out your coverage at 20% of your dwelling coverage. That probably means no staying at a 5-star resort in the desert!
2. Falling Objects That Hit Your Property
Can you imagine if you suddenly had a meteor or part of a satellite from space fall through your roof and into your living room? What if a golf ball or baseball flew through your side window? Your first thought would be confusion, but then you may start to think about the costs racking up to fix the hole in your roof or window.
Most standard home insurances will cover any damage from falling objects! Now you’ll never have to worry about costs associated with an asteroid coming into your home!
3. Terrorist Attack
Although we hope this is never the case, as long as America is not at war, insurance companies will cover any damage or costs associated with a terrorist attack.
If there is a bomb, fire, or another type of attack near your home that causes damage due to a terrorist or terrorist group, you will not have out of pocket costs.
4. Rotten Food
Storm damage may not just damage the outside of your house. You may also experience some damage to your food after a storm.
Imagine having to replace everything in your fridge after it goes bad from having no power. Or imagine having to replace every boxed good in your pantry because water damage soaked through it all. That could be hundreds of dollars down the drain.
The good thing is that if your power goes out because of a storm or a downed power line in the area, your insurance will accept claims for rotted food.
5. Personal Property Stolen or Damaged
When thinking about homeowners insurance, many people only think of the house itself. But that’s not al that your insurance covers!
After a bad storm, you may have damage to your belongings within the house. If a robber comes into your home and steals your valuables, you are now missing personal property. These are times when insurance kicks in.
If something happens to your personal property, like your clothes or jewelry, your favorite card collection, furniture, expensive art, or electronics, your insurance will cover it.
When deciding how much insurance coverage to get for your home, you need to take into account the value of everything you own. Since most insurance companies have a dollar amount to how much they will cover, you have to make sure you have enough insurance to cover everything.
6. Vandalism on Your Property
Any type of vandalism that occurs on your property should be covered by your home insurance.
This means that if someone vandalizes your property by destroying and ripping up your lawn, you will be covered. If someone decided to spray paint the front of your home, your insurance will cover to fix the damage.
The best part? If you happen to live near the woods or in the mountains and a wild animal breaks in and destroys your personal property, your insurance will kick in because that is technically vandalism to your property.
7. Lightning
Lightning can damage your home in more ways than one. Besides possibly catching your home on fire, it can create electrical damage throughout the home.
If your home is struck by lightning, your homeowners insurance will cover the damage.
However, it is important to note that if you have a detached garage or another detached dwelling as part of your home and lightning strikes, you will not be covered. To ensure coverage, you’ll have to purchase extra insurance for a separate dwelling.
Put Your Homeowners Insurance to Use
Did you recently experience any damage to your home or personal property? Are you thinking you’ll have to pay for repair costs out of pocket?
You shouldn’t have to if your damage was caused by anything on this list! It’s time to put your homeowners insurance to good use and get the most out of it!
Contact us today to get a free estimate on how much it will cost to replace your roof damage! We’ve got you covered!
