Make sure you have these coverages for your home to be protected from storm damage.
I’m sure you’ve heard the saying, “April showers, bring May flowers.” Here on the east coast, we know that’s not the only thing spring storms bring. They also bring us a leaky roof, missing siding and shingles, fallen trees, and so many other issues caused by wind and debris. Cleaning up after a large storm can be stressful and can come with a large price tag to repair some of these damages that can make the stress even worse.
Here are a few coverages that BMC Insurance recommends you add onto your homeowner’s policy to ensure that you are getting the proper coverage for your home after a storm.
Roofing & Siding Matching Coverage
Here’s something a lot of homeowners don’t know, your insurance company is only required to cover the repair for damaged portions of your roof or siding. This is great because it means faster repair and a smaller claim showing up on your record, except they don’t have to guarantee that the repaired portion will closely match what is currently on your home. Some people don’t like the look of mismatched siding or shingles, and they also don’t want to pay out of pocket to replace the undamaged portion to make it match again.
BMC Insurance works with 10 of the best homeowners insurance carriers, many of which give the option to add an additional roofing and siding matching coverage. Here’s an example of how it would work: part of the shingles on your roof are damaged by wind during a storm, your whole roof doesn’t need to be replaced so your insurance decides to just pay for the damaged portion. The shingles you currently have are discontinued, if you don’t have this coverage, you would be stuck with whatever they are willing to pay for or making up the difference to match it yourself. If you decide to add this inexpensive endorsement, they will take care of the cost to match the repaired section as close as they can to what you currently have. If this is something you are interested in, we can quote how much this coverage would be to add onto your current policy.
Water Back-up Coverage
This additional coverage covers water damage from backed-up water pipes and sewer systems. A lot of homes have sump pumps in their basements/crawl spaces, which are designed to pump water out from underneath and around your foundation. Sometimes sump pumps fail and plumbing/sewer systems get backed up and water can flood into your house, causing an expensive mess.
In a situation where your water or sewer systems backs up into your home the water back-up coverage will help pay for the damage to your flooring, walls, furniture, and other belongings damaged by the water/sewage up to your coverage limit. It will also help cover the removal of the sewage/water. Here at BMC insurance, we recommend you add this coverage with a minimum limit of $10,000. Some people who have large finished basements may even need $25,000-$50,000 of coverage if they were to have a complete loss.
Flood Insurance
Flood damage is one of the most common disasters in the United States and can occur almost anywhere, even if you are not in a high-risk area known as a “special hazard flood zone”. Most people do not know that flood insurance is not covered under a homeowner’s policy until it is already too late.
Flood insurance is generally purchased separately from your homeowner’s policy, but this policy would cover any damages to your home or personal property if it was damaged by water related to flooding. Typically, your flood insurance company will pay to repair, replace, or rebuild your home depending on the extent of the damage. As well as pay you the actual cash value of your belongings that are destroyed or damaged due to a flood. Our carriers Hartford & Progressive both offer flood policies and coverage quotes for your home are free!
So, while we cannot change the weather here at BMC Insurance, we can help you ensure that you have the right insurance coverage to protect your home and property from storms. For more information regarding any of these additional endorsements or policies, please contact our office.