Homeowner’s Insurance: Uncovering What Is and Isn’t Covered
December 5, 2020 | Exodus Realty
“Policy exclusion” is insurance lingo for “it isn’t covered.” If you’ve got homeowner’s insurance, don’t assume everything and/or every incident is covered—there may be some exclusions that you aren’t aware of. According to Brad Hanna, MBA, CPCU, CAC, CRM, ARM, ARe, AU, AIS, there are some scenarios that typically aren’t covered under homeowner’s insurance:
- Sewer Backups—Sewer backups are not insured by either homeowner’s or flood coverage.
- Floods
- Earthquakes—While damage from the quake itself isn’t usually covered, damage from fires caused by quakes may be.
- Maintenance Neglect—if you’ve been ignoring basic home maintenance and it causes bigger issues, those issues may not be covered.
- Expensive Jewelry-Typically items over $500 are not covered.
- Trampolines and Pools-While fun, these backyard activities can be dangerous—even life-threatening.
- Dog Attacks—While some incidents may be covered, bites by dogs that are considered ‘aggressive breeds’ may not be.
Although most of these incidents do not automatically fall under homeowner’s coverage, supplemental endorsements are available to address most of these situations, according to Hanna. For more information on what to look for in your homeowner’s policy, contact your insurance agent.