Common Home Insurance Claims
When choosing home insurance there are over seventeen different categories of coverage. Not all policies cover everything. Choosing your coverage greatly depends on your individual needs but knowing the most common causes of home insurance claims can help you to ensure that you are insured. Here are the most common home insurance claims.
- Wind and Hail - While there are many other things that can happen and create damage during a storm, most damage is caused by wind and hail. High winds can rip off pieces of your roof, throw things through windows or onto vehicles and more. Hail damage is usually seen on your auto but hail can cause extensive damage to the outside unit of your air conditioning as well as your roof and even your gutters. There is not much that you can do to avoid wind and hail damage except to secure lawn furniture or others things that can be blown in high winds.
- Water Damage - Even in areas that do not flood, there are extensive claims that are filed every year due to water damage from within the home. This comes from leaky and busted pipes, clogged pipes, as well as busted hot water heaters. Ensure that you properly maintain your home's plumbing to help to avoid these types of claims but make sure that your home insurance covers water damage. If you live in a flood prone area, make sure that you have flood insurance since this is not normally covered under a regular policy.
- Fire Damage - Fire Damage can completely destroy your belongings. If not the actual fire itself, the smoke and water from the fire can destroy the remainder of your property. Keep records of your personal belongings in a safe place away from the house such as a safe deposit box. One of the easiest ways to document the contents of your home is to shoot a video of each of the rooms in your home showing the furnishings and contents of the room. Make sure that you document jewelry, silver, coins, and other collectibles that you may have and ensure that they are covered on your policy up to their full value.
- Accidents to Visitors - Liability insurance is one of the main components of any home owners insurance policy. This will help to protect anyone that is on your property whether visiting or there for business from any type of accident that they may have. You will be protected if someone slips on your front steps or if the cable installer falls off a ladder. Ensure that your policy has adequate protection in case someone decides to sue.
- Pet Attacks - Although your pet has never bothered you or anyone in your household, he or she may decide that they do not like someone that is visiting on your property and you will be held liable and can have to pay a large settlement if sued. Ensure that your home insurance policy will cover you just in case this ever happens to you.