Atlanta home insurance can protect you from a lot of different sticky situations. However, certain things might need to be added to your policy so you can be sure you’re protected. (Home insurance does a lot of great things, and it’s definitely a worthwhile financial safety net, but it doesn’t protect you from EVERYTHING.) To make sure your home and belongings are protected from losses that might worry you, you can add these things called endorsements to your policy. We’ll explain what home insurance endorsements are and go over a few that you should know about.
What is an endorsement?
An endorsement is an addition to your policy that alters coverage. It can add coverage for certain losses, or it can provide coverage for certain items. Yes, it’s one of those insurance words that gets thrown around a lot – so it’s a helpful word to know. Unfortunately, Insurance-Speak 101 is not a class offered at school, so there are some words out there that agents just think people know and understand because they’re in the insurance world – which isn’t their fault, but can make people feel sheepish.
Anyways, moving on. That’s what an endorsement is, but which endorsements should you know about? As you’ve probably guessed, there are many home insurance endorsements. Things just can’t be simple, can they?
3 home insurance endorsements to know about.
1. Sewer backup.
This very unfortunate – and potentially very smelly – problem is typically not covered by your home insurance. But – yes, there’s a but – you can add an endorsement to your policy to protect yourself from losses related to sewer backup and sump discharge. You might not think this could ever happen to you, but sewer backup could strike at the most inopportune time.
The endorsement could help you cover losses related to…
- The backup of water or waterborne materials through a sewer or drain.
- Water or waterborne material that overflows from a sump (including if the sump fails due to a mechanical problem.) Keep in mind that damaged property is covered, but not the sump itself.
Note: Losses due to negligence (i.e. not turning on the sump) or flooding ARE NOT covered.
Okay, so that’s what the endorsement does. However, there are a few things you can do to avoid a sewer backup.
- Do NOT flush anything other than toilet paper.
- Toss cooled grease in the garbage instead of rinsing it down the drain.
- Keep an eye out for tree roots. They can allow debris to infiltrate cracks in the sewer line. You might consider replacing your sewer lateral with plastic pipe if you keep having issues.
2. Personal property.
Your home insurance might offer only a limited amount of coverage for things like jewelry and valuables. It’s important to read your policy so you understand how much coverage you have for your expensive treasures like your jewelry – and what’s covered and what’s not.
If you find that the coverage offered by your home insurance isn’t going to cut it, you can consider getting a home insurance endorsement. A personal property endorsement can give you the appropriate coverage for items that are specifically listed (or scheduled, in insurance-speak.) That way you would have the coverage you need if something happened to your beloved treasures.
Make sure that you have the appropriate amount of coverage in the endorsement and that you understand what losses are covered. Also, be sure that you know how your valuables would be replaced. As always, it’s important to read the details of your coverage.
Your jewelry is valuable, both money-wise and sentimentally. Don’t skip out on getting the right coverage.
3. Identity theft.
You may also be able to get an endorsement to protect yourself from identity theft. The possibility of having your identity stolen is a scary one – and a potentially expensive one. An identity theft endorsement can help you out if you’re dealing with the fallout from an identity theft situation. If you’re concerned about what you’d do if your identity was stolen, you may want to look into this.
While your home insurance does a lot to protect you, you might want to add endorsements to your policy. It’s always a good idea to read your policy carefully and understand what’s covered and what you might need to adjust or add via endorsement.
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