Blog: homeowners

Many homeowners don’t fully understand their property insurance policies and are at a disadvantage when negotiating with their insurers about repairs needed after a fire, theft, hurricane or other disaster. Public insurance adjusters assess damages, determine what the policy covers, document evidence to support claims and assess what repairs will cost. In Florida, they can…

A Florida online insurance agency found to have sold homeowners policies using unlicensed personnel will pay a $100,000 fine. The agency will also contact every customer affected and offer to rewrite their policies, under terms of a settlement reached with state officials. In March, Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink’s Department of Financial Services took legal…

I had my roof checked by two roofing companies because our home is 16 years old and I wanted to find out the condition of my roof, we had a store in May the roof leaked, I had state Farm out and they denied a roof problem, in otherwords they would not cover the roof.…

State regulators are investigating how the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association handles certain roof claims related to Hurricane Ike. At issue is whether unsealed asphalt shingles are considered damaged, and if so, whether Ike was the cause. The windstorm association doesn’t always think so. But some homeowners say they have valid claims because Hurricane Ike lifted…

A class-action settlement involving homeowners policies written by Nationwide Mutual Insurance Co. and its affiliates could lead to homeowners receiving money for claims submitted over the last 13 years. The settlement is between Nationwide and its affiliates and homeowners policyholders who say they were not paid enough for claims submitted between 1996 and March 20,…

A Florida appeals court affirmed an administrative judge’s ruling that allows the state’s Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty to deny a homeowners insurance rate increase to State Farm. Without comment, Florida’s District Court of Appeals, First District, in Tallahassee, yesterday affirmed the commissioner’s denial. A reverse decision could have increased rates by as much as 67…

Earthquake, expansive soil, flood, hurricane, landslide and subsidence damage usually not covered! “All Perils” Means:   Learn About the Geology Every year in every state many property owners discover that their homeowners insurance policy will not pay when their homes are damaged by common geological processes such as earthquakes, expansive soils, floods, hurricanes, landslides and subsidence.…

Suffering major damage to a home is a traumatic event for any family. The experience brings shock, worry about family members and pets, grief at the loss of treasured possessions, and stress about the overwhelming task of replacing it all. Right on the heels of these emotions comes a more immediate question: Where will the family live now, and how will they pay for it? Fortunately, standard homeowner’s policies provide coverage for loss of use of a home.

The standard policy contains three Loss of Use coverages: Additional Living Expense, Fair Rental Value, and Civil Authority Prohibits Use. Additional Living Expense coverage pays for the homeowner’s necessary increase in living expenses when the home, damaged by a covered cause of loss, becomes unfit to live in. For example, assume that a severe windstorm knocks a tree into a home’s upstairs. It wrecks three bedrooms and two bathrooms, causing pipes to break and damaging electrical wiring. Since the policy covers windstorm damage and the home is unsafe for the family to occupy, this coverage will pay the extra amount the family must spend to live elsewhere for a period of time. However, the insurance company will pay only the amount necessary for the family to maintain its normal standard of living. If the family was not living in a luxury condo before the loss, the company will not pay for them to live in one after. The company will pay for the shortest period of time necessary to repair or replace the damaged property or to permanently relocate.