Insurance Claim

9/28/2017 (Permalink)

What homeowners in New England need to know!

Don’t make the mistake of assuming that you and your house or condo is adequately covered. If you’re anything like the average American, you likely have less homeowners (or condo) insurance than you need to weather the storm.

According to the non-profit advocacy organization, United Policyholders, about two-thirds of U.S. homeowners would be underinsured if they were to find themselves on the wrong end of some sort of adverse weather event.

Northeast

Do you own property in New England? If so, the biggest threats—from a weather or natural disaster standpoint are floods, snow/cold temperatures, and strong winds.

If you reside in a Northeastern you will want to make sure your homeowners insurance provides for you if your home becomes a casualty of flood, snow, or wind damage. Below is a bit more about each.

Floods

Homeowners insurance usually doesn’t cover damage caused by flooding. Many Americans wrongly believe their basic home policy protects them from flood damage.

Floods are the most common of all the natural disasters in the U.S., so that could be a problem for homeowners who live in flood-prone regions.

If you reside in a high-risk area, and you obtained your mortgage from a federally regulated or insured lender, you’ll be required to buy flood insurance through the National Flood Insurance Program. (If you live in a moderate- or low-risk area, the government won’t force you to purchase it. Still, you can do so if your community participates in the NFIP.)

Snow

If a large amount of snow is dumped onto your roof, it very well could cause it to collapse if it doesn’t melt or isn’t removed fairly quickly.

Luckily, even if all you have is a barebones homeowners policy, you should be well protected from an insurance perspective when you go to pay for any related repairs.

Your bank account also should be safe if you’re hit by a blizzard and the strong winds that often are associated with it somehow damages your house or surrounding property. (Ripping shingles from your roof or toppling a tree that destroys your garage are two examples.)

What are some wintry situations that could prompt you to have to pay for home repairs or replacements out of your own pocket if you haven’t invested in extra endorsements or stand-alone policies? One possibility is if your pipes burst because you failed to keep your house warm enough. Another is if your basement (or some other part of your dwelling) floods after all of the snow that’s currently blanketing your lawn inevitably melts.

In the latter instance, an actual flood insurance policy—again, purchased through the NFIP—is going to be the only thing (outside of your own hard-earned cash) that will come to your rescue, so if that’s a real concern for you, you should consider going that route as soon as possible.

Cold Temperatures

When the temperature drops below the freezing point, and especially when it dips below zero degrees, it can cause pipes to burst.

High Winds

This region rarely has to deal with hurricanes but it’s no stranger to strong winds—up to 60 miles per hour, especially during the winter months. These winds can cause significant damage to dwellings and property.

The question is, is the damage produced by these winds protected by your standard homeowners policy? For the most part, it is-under the broad “windstorm peril” section of your plan, according to “If Disaster Strikes, Will You Be Covered?”

Specifically, if strong winds blow off part (or all) of your roof, or knock down a fence, or drop a tree onto your house, most of the resulting repair and replacement costs will be covered—to some extent, of course—by that form of insurance.

There are some exceptions to this rule. For example, if a particularly harsh wind storm fells one of the trees in your yard and it doesn’t damage your home or other structures in any way, you’ll have to pay to have it and any related debris removed from your property.

The above segments were adapted from the writings of Bryan Ochalla and www.upheld.org, a resource for US policy holders.

SERVPRO of Stoneham/ Wakefield reminds you to double check your policy to be sure you’re covered. Let us know how we can help. Enjoy this beautiful time of year and stay safe.