Insurance Coverage

Make Sure the Insurance Company Acts Promptly Fortunately, insurance companies are required to handle claims in a timely manner. In California, for example, they must send you a "notice of intentions" within 30 days of receiving your claim. If there's no dispute over your coverage, you're entitled to payment within that time, too. If you haven't heard [...]

File Your Claim Right Away All policies require homeowners to report their loss as soon as is reasonably possible. You can comply by calling your agent or sending an email. After that, you'll be asked to submit a "proof of loss claim," in which you itemize your losses and list the value. (Hopefully, you already followed the [...]

Secure Your Property Every policy requires you to take reasonable steps to minimize the harm to your property. In legalese, this is known as your duty to "mitigate damages." It includes such common-sense steps as covering a section of your leaky roof with a plastic tarp until you can get it repaired or turning off [...]

Get an Advance! If you were forced to evacuate your home, you might not have grabbed basic necessities -- from a toothbrush to clothes that you can wear to work. Your homeowners' policy will cover the cost to replace these items, but you don't have to file a claim and have it approved before heading [...]

If you over serve a guest, the damage they do can end up coming back to you. Most states now have social host liability laws in place, which can hold hosts liable for any property damage caused by their intoxicated guests. This can range from something minor, like a mailbox being run over to much [...]

If you do manage to poison your guests with tainted food, a standard homeowners’ policy – the medical payments portion -- typically pays for the cost of a trip to an emergency room. Medical expenses pay for the services for those injured in your home, up to your limits, which is typically $5,000. Liability kicks [...]

According to the most current data from the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Thanksgiving was by far the peak day in 2014 for home fires that involved cooking equipment. There were 1,730 fires on Thanksgiving, which is almost four times the number of fires on an average day and over double the number of fires [...]

Yes! Thanksgiving Day is typically a chance to carve out some quality time to eat, drink and be merry with family and friends, but if your feast goes foul, knowing what your home insurance covers will help. While nobody expects their holiday party to go up in flames, or to have food poisoning on the menu or [...]

Smoke damage is a covered peril in most homeowners policies. It will (temporarily or permanently) damage porous materials such as fabrics, rugs, curtains and unfinished wood. Some items can be cleaned, others need to be replaced. Marble and tile may experience discoloration. Your insurance company will most likely pay for cleaning smoke and ash, but [...]