We tend to keep things on the positive side here at Insurance For Texans. We're a glass half full kind of operation. Much of our time is spent educating Texans on what their home insurance can do for them as a result. But we thought it might be helpful to explain today what your homeowners insurance is designed to not do. With that in mind, here are five things that your Texas Homeowners insurance does not cover!
1. Air Conditioners, Furnaces, Hot Water Heaters, And Other Appliances
While you may realize this one, our agents are frequently asked about potential claims to repair the systems or appliances in many Texans' homes.
"What's my Deductible for my HVAC system?"
Your home insurance is not designed to cover the repair or replacement of your appliances or systems like pool pumps. That is covered under what is known as a home warranty rather than a home insurance policy. While some policies do offer optional coverage for equipment breakdown, it is not part of a base policy and will require that endorsement. However, any damage to your home as a result of one of these appliances breaking down likely is covered.
2. Sewer Backup
It just sounds nasty, right? The sewer system backing up into your home. Sewer and Drain Backup is only covered via an endorsement to your home insurance policy. We offer it on all policies we provide to Ft Worth Homeowners, but it is not part of your base policy.
3. Construction Work Damage
If you are renovating your home, you need to take extra precaution. We definitely recommend that you only work with contractors who carry insurance for their projects. Your home insurance policy is not going to provide protection if they are working on your home and manage to damage it. Request proof and verify the coverage so that you aren't left holding a remodel nightmare.
4. Earthquakes
Texas hasn't had a building collapse or a fatality from an earthquake in the last 50 years. However, we have seen an uptick in earthquake activity over the last ten! This has a lot of folks all shook up. Sorry for the bad pun. But we want to point this one out as we have had many calls from people asking about coverage for earthquakes that could potentially do damage to their homes.
5. Flooding
There are two types of flooding that can occur in your home. Water that emanates from inside your home due to something like a pipe bursting or appliance breaking is the first. This kind of water damage IS covered. The second type of flooding is water that comes from outside your home. And water that comes from outside your home to inside your home is definitely not covered by a home insurance policy. You need a flood policy to protect your home and possessions from this type of catastrophe.
There are many things that your home insurance policy will cover. We love to talk about those protections. But some times, the exclusions really matter to a Texas homeowner. If you haven't looked at your home insurance policy recently, let a Texan help you with a policy review. At Insurance For Texans, we work as a local independent insurance agent which means we can evaluate the entire market place on your behalf to make sure that you get the best coverage at the best price.
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