Having insurance for your home that fits your unique needs is vital in protecting what is often your biggest investment. We work with you to assess your needs and recommend the proper coverages for your individual circumstances. Whether you’re purchasing a home or shopping for a new policy, or if you need a renter’s policy or something else, we are ready to provide you with a free, no obligation quote to help you safeguard your home.

Let us build a customized insurance plan for you today, to protect your home and belongings.

Liability

A typical homeowner’s policy will include liability coverage. This is similar to the liability coverage on your auto insurance policy, it’s there to protect you from financial liability, in the event of a mishap on your property. If someone gets hurt at your house, depending on the circumstances of their injury, they might want to sue you. Someone could trip and fall on your stairs or be bitten by a pet. Even good dogs can have a bad day, and dog bites are one of the most common liability claims. If you have a pool, your risk of liability goes up even more. Sadly, there are over 3,500 drownings in pools per year in America. It is important to have an expert to work with who understands your specific risks and needs when crafting your policy.

Dwelling

The dwelling coverage portion of your policy will cover many of the common forms of damage or loss that may occur. There are a lot of things out there that could result in damage, potentially significant, to your home. The main ones include:

• Fire

• Lightning

• Theft

• Vandalism

• A burst pipe

• Wind

• Hail

Those last two, wind and hail, are some times excluded from a policy. This is often the case for homes very close to the coast. Just how close to the coast that is, will often vary by insurance carrier, what state and county you live in, and historical data from previous storms.

If it is not excluded, some policies will have a different deductible amount for wind and hail damage, while others will group it in with your general deductible. We work with our clients to look at this specific aspect of a policy and present different options to find the one best suited to your individual needs.

Wind & Hail

If wind and hail damage are not covered by your homeowner’s policy, then you’ll need a separate wind and hail policy to protect your home. This policy will sit right alongside your homeowner’s policy, but only covers damage from wind and hail. This policy will have its own deductible separate from your homeowner’s policy, so it is important to review this policy closely with an agent to make sure you understand the differences between the two.

What about Flood?

Homeowner’s policies as a general rule, do not cover damage from flooding. When insurance companies talk about “flooding” what is meant is naturally rising water, from something like a hurricane or even heavy rain. If your washing machine overflows and fills your kitchen with water, that’s not a flood, as far as insurance is concerned, and would typically be covered by your homeowner’s policy.

Many lenders require you to carry flood insurance if you live in a certain area, such as a special flood hazard area. Whether or not it is required by your lender, flood insurance is a very important coverage to have for your home. It’s often less expensive than you might think, and can prevent a devastating loss. Most flood policies are underwritten by the National Flood Insurance Program, which is backed by the federal government, and insures both your house as well as its contents.

What about contents?

The contents of your house can quickly add up to tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of clothes, furniture, electronics, appliances, and other belongings. Contents will be covered under your homeowners policy, under a specific section of the policy, and up to a certain amount. This is another reason it’s important to work with an agent when buying a homeowner’s policy, so you get this amount right. If you have a house full of expensive furniture, big screen TVs, designer clothes and exercise equipment, you might need more than the standard amount, or if you are more of a minimalist, then you might want less contents coverage to bring your premium down.

What isn’t covered?

Your homeowner’s policy will not cover certain things, as we have discussed. In addition to flood damage, and in certain cases, wind and hail, here are the other common things excluded from a typical homeowner’s policy.

The first major one is earthquake damage. While earthquakes seem like they are rare, they are completely unpredictable, and have the potential to be very destructive. Charleston is located very close to the largest active fault line on the East Coast, and in 1886 experienced a severe earthquake that destroyed a large portion of the city and resulted in serious loss of life as well. The good news, is a separate earthquake policy is available from several different companies, with competitive pricing and several different deductible options.

Other things your standard homeowner’s policy won’t cover are home maintenance, or damage resulting from neglect, such as a slow water leak that has not been dealt with. Damage from termites, rodents, and mold are also generally not covered. Water and sewage backup is also not usually covered, although you can typically add an endorsement to your policy that does cover this specific risk.

Jewelry, firearms, furs, or other collections of expensive items, such as tools, collectibles, or sporting equipment are minimally covered, but if you have any of these items, you should talk to your agent about them when purchasing your policy, as you can typically add an endorsement to your policy for a higher coverage amount for these specific items. Alternatively, it might make more sense to just buy a separate policy for just your jewelry, or guns, for example. Your agent can help you decide what option is best based on your specific circumstances.

Renters Insurance

If you rent your home, whether an apartment or a house, renter’s insurance is still important. Since the policy is just to protect your belongings and cover your liability, without any coverage for the apartment or house itself (since you don’t own it), the premiums are much lower than for homeowner’s insurance.

Renter’s insurance provides coverage for your belongings, like your furniture, clothing, electronics, and other possessions. Just like homeowner’s insurance, flood damage is not covered by renter’s insurance, so a contents-only flood policy would be necessary to protect your stuff from flood damage.