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How To Read Your Homeowners Insurance Policy

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A homeowner’s insurance policy is designed to provide you with peace of mind and security when a disaster occurs in your home. Most homeowners may actually be missing or overpaying for their coverage, however.

The truth is that many homeowners simply don’t understand their policy and assume that it covers them in the event of any situation where there is damage to the home. Around 75% of respondents to an international communications research study suggested that they had not considered a separate flood insurance policy. Around 40% of those surveyed also did not know if their insurance would cover the loss of their belongings in a disaster.

When reviewing your home insurance policy it is important to focus on these sections.

The Declarations

This section will include some of the most important information about your policy. This is all of the information about your personal identification, the name of your insurance underwriter, your policy number, contact info, policy premium amounts, termination dates of your policy, the amount of applicable deductible and more.

Making sure that these aspects are accurate will ensure that you can access compensation as required.

The Insuring Agreement

This is the shortest section of your policy and it is a basic agreement that you’ll pay the terms outlined by the insurance provider in exchange for compensation on losses with the property.

Section 1

In this section, the insurance company will detail how they will compensate you for losses as well as any exclusions that your policy is subject to.

Section 2

This section details the liability coverage that you can get to cover damages for which you are liable. The details of this aspect of your policy could let you know if you are entitled to a free lawyer to defend you and what your insurance will pay out to help with damages. The exclusions will also be listed here.

Conditions

There is also a set list of conditions and provisions in which your insurance company may deny a claim.

Endorsements

These are essentially amendments to your insurance policy or custom additions based on your needs.

If you need assistance in reading your policy or you are finding your insurance policy to be overwhelming and confusing, contact a Florida insurance lawyer today to receive the support you need.

This post was written by Kelly-Ann Jenkins of Jenkins Law P.L. Kelly-Anne is a property damage attorney. She focuses on insurance claims and property damage. The information on this site is not intended to and does not offer legal advice, legal recommendations or legal representation on any matter. Hiring an attorney is an important decision, which should not be based on advertising. You need to consult an attorney for legal advice regarding your individual situation.

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