Home Insurance

As a homeowner, you likely understand the importance of having home insurance to protect your investment. However, many homeowners are underinsured in critical areas even with insurance coverage. Here are the top 11 areas where homeowners are underinsured in their home insurance policies:

1. Personal Property: Many homeowners underestimate the value of their personal belongings, such as furniture, electronics, and clothing.
   
2. Water Damage: Standard home insurance policies may not cover certain types of water damage, such as flooding or water damage caused by a leaky roof.
   
3. Jewelry and Valuables: Expensive jewelry and other valuable items may require additional coverage beyond what is provided in a standard home insurance policy.
   
4. Home Business: If you run a business from home, you may need additional coverage to protect your business equipment and liability.
   
5. Sewer Backup: Sewer backups can cause significant damage to your home, but they may not be covered under standard home insurance policies.
   
6. Identity Theft: Identity theft insurance can help you recover from the financial impact of identity theft.
   
7. Home Renovations: Major home renovations can increase the value of your home, and you may need to adjust your coverage accordingly.
   
8. Dog Bites: If you own a dog, you may need additional liability coverage to protect against dog bite claims.
   
9. High-Value Items: If you own high-value items such as art, antiques, or collectibles, you may need additional coverage beyond what is provided in a standard policy.
   
10. Home-based Medical Care: If you or a family member requires home-based medical care, you may need additional liability coverage to protect against claims.
    
11. Extended Vacancies: If your home is vacant for an extended period, you may need additional coverage to protect against vandalism or other damage.

In conclusion, it’s essential to review your home insurance policy regularly to ensure adequate coverage for all your needs. If you are unsure about your coverage or have any questions, contact us for guidance. By taking the time to understand your policy and making any necessary adjustments, you can have peace of mind knowing that your home and belongings are adequately protected.

The most overlooked item of any home improvement is insurance If you are like most homeowners, you love selecting the fixtures, fabrics, and paint colors of your home improvement project. But there is one very important item that you may overlook—making certain you are properly insured.

Why Proper Insurance Matters

You may need to review your insurance before beginning any home improvement project since it can expose you to additional financial risks.

If you choose to act as your own general contractor (in other words, you organize and order supplies while hiring sub-contractors to do the work), you may be opening up yourself to additional liability (such as an injury to a worker or third party) that may not be fully covered by your current homeowners insurance policy.¹

Whether it’s an extra room or an updated bathroom, many home improvement projects will increase the value of your home. However, too many homeowners fail to review the policy’s replacement value limits, which may no longer be high enough to cover any losses that occur after your home improvement.

Obtaining additional coverage shouldn’t wait until you’ve completed the remodeling. After all, at any point in the process, you will have supplies and completed work that may not be covered under your existing policy.

To ensure that you are properly covered, contact a Prokop Insurance agent about your projects and discuss with them any need for modifying your current insurance coverage.

1. The information in this material is not intended as legal advice. Please consult legal or insurance professionals for specific information regarding your individual situation.