If you live in an area where sinkholes can occur, your Homeowners Insurance policy may cover the cost of replacing your home and your living expenses until you can return to the property.
While sinkholes are not a common occurrence, you should be aware of this type of hazard and take appropriate steps to make sure that your investment is protected against sinkhole damage. Home insurance is very important but who wants to overpay?
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Sinkhole Coverage Included with Homeowners Policy
Your homeowners policy may cover loss due to a sinkhole, but you shouldn't assume that this is one of the hazards that you are protected against. Residents of Florida, who may be at risk for sinkhole damage, should make a point of reviewing their homeowners insurance policy carefully to find out what kinds of hazards are covered.
In a case where the policy language is unclear, contact the insurance company or your agent to get this matter clarified. You may even want to call or e-mail the insurer even if sinkhole damage is mentioned on the policy to make sure you understand how this part of the policy works. The last thing you want is to find out after a loss is that you don’t have coverage.
Sinkhole Coverage Under a Separate Policy
If your homeowners policy doesn't offer sinkhole coverage as a standard part of your coverage, you can consider buying a separate policy to provide you with protection you need. This option will likely be more expensive than if you bought a homeowners policy that included this type of coverage.
Before making a decision about whether to buy a separate policy for this purpose, you will need to consider your options. Part of doing so involves gathering information about the likelihood that a sinkhole will occur in your area. Not all parts of Florida have the same level of risk for this hazard. That doesn't mean that you should necessarily discount the possibility that a sinkhole will occur, either.
Sinkhole Exclusion
In a case where, after careful thought, you don’t want to have sinkhole coverage included in the terms of your homeowners insurance policy, you can find an insurance company that offers a sinkhole insurance exclusion to its customers.
Choosing this option will probably save you some money on the cost of your homeowners insurance coverage. You will want to take the time to ask questions to make sure that you understand the consequences of not having sinkhole protection on your home. Some companies will still provide coverage for a catastrophic loss due to a sinkhole, even for customers who choose this type of exclusion.
As with all matters connected with homeowners insurance, you need to make sure that you understand exactly what you are buying. It’s a far better choice to ask questions from the outset and make sure that your understanding of what your policy covers and the actual protection you are getting are the same before you need to make a claim against your policy.
When you are shopping for homeowners insurance, you can ask about whether this particular peril is covered. Discuss it with the company directly or contact your agent to find out which companies can provide it as part of a standard homeowners’ policy. It should be one of the factors that you consider before making a final decision about which company you should buy your policy from. If having sinkhole coverage in place is an important consideration for you, focus your search for coverage on companies that can provide it.
You can choose to put it at the top of your list when considering different coverage options if you decide that having sinkhole coverage is a major consideration for you. When you get quotes from different companies, check for this provision first and weed out the companies that don’t give you this type of protection. Then you can go through and consider the companies based on other factors, like price and the level of customer service they provide.
Sinkhole Home Insurance Quotes
Finding out for sure whether you are protected against sinkholes is especially important if you are thinking of or have recently changed insurance companies. If you currently have this protection, you will want to be sure that you are still protected. Not all insurance providers give you the same level of protection, and you need to make sure that you understand your policy coverage properly.
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Greene & Associates Insurance provides Insurance Quotes, Rates and Policies online for Home, Auto and Business Insurance for the entire State of Florida including Lake City Fl, Jacksonville Fl, Gainesville Fl, Alachua Fl, Live Oak Fl, Ft White Fl, Branford Fl, Ocala Fl, Middleburg F, Greene Cove Springs Fl & St Augustine Fl