Umbrella Liability Insurance

Storms can be intense, causing damage to the structure of your home. You may walk outside to find your patio table shattered into pieces or it may be in the neighbor’s backyard.

When this type of damage occurs, contact your home insurance agent. Your agent will work closely with you to better understand what occurred. You may be able to file a claim for it. When does it apply?

Home insurance does not provide coverage for normal wear and tear on these items. If your patio table suffers a crack as a result of age, that will not have protection. It also does not apply if someone in your home causes the damage.

This might include a child hitting it, for example.
Rather, it applies in unexpected events including storms. It should provide financial protection for your patio furniture if it suffers damage due to lightning, fire or wind. If large hail hit the structure of your patio table shattering the glass, your coverage applies here, too.

Before you can obtain compensation for the losses, you must consider the deductible. Home insurance policies nearly always have one. This is the amount you are responsible for paying before the insurance company kicks in to pay the rest.

The key here is to know what your deductible is. Then, consider the value of your patio furniture. If the value isn’t significantly below the deductible, there is no benefit in filing a claim. You will not receive funds for it.

Whether you have a wicker patio set or an elegant set of Adirondack chairs, your home insurance policy usually pays out based on the value of the items before the storm occurred. This takes into consideration depreciation since you purchased them.

If your policy offers replacement cost coverage, on the other hand, they may pay enough for you to purchase a new piece of furniture similar to the one you have now.

When an event like this occurs, take pictures of what happened. Then, contact our insurance agency. We will walk you through the process of determining if you have coverage, what your deductible is, and how much you could receive for the loss. Storm damage is a typical type of coverage for most policies.

Your home may be destroyed by a fire, flood, storm or other catastrophe. You’re scrambling around to get your life back in order and you may think that things couldn’t get worse. Well, they can and often do because of people who can’t spell contractor without c-o-n.

The period after a serious loss is hectic, emotional and disorienting. Your major concern is to get your home repaired or rebuilt. These elements make you very vulnerable to “CONtractors” – people who specialize in victimization instead of construction and in rip-offs rather than repairs.

Keep in touch with our agency during such trying times. We’re already committed to providing genuine help and guidance.