1. Surprisingly, if you’ve had your roof replaced through an insurance claim, there is no guarantee your insurance provider has accounted for this when calculating your current premium. My wife and I had our roof replaced in 2017 as part of a claim (hail damage). We went about everything the “right” way. We found a licensed roofer and insisted they pull a permit (required in Fort Collins); as of this writing, there is no such requirement in Loveland).
We were in touch with our insurance company at multiple points throughout the process, so it never dawned on me that they wouldn’t account for the new roof when calculating our premium. Unfortunately, this is precisely what happened. It had been a while since I met with our insurance agent, so I scheduled a meeting and met with him. I wanted to review our policies (home, auto, umbrella) to ensure we still had the right coverage and weren’t wasting money on unnecessary coverage (something I highly recommend you do as well). During this meeting, I discovered our premium did not account for our new roof. This would have saved us over $500/year (or approximately 30% of our entire payment). With the help of our local agent (we dealt with the 1-800 support when going through the roof claim process), we got our premium reduced, and we also received a $1500 check from our insurance company. So, if you’ve had your roof replaced recently, it may be worth an email to your agent to make sure your insurance provider is accounting for this improvement. And generally, it may be worth considering any other roof-related repairs or upgrades you’ve recently made to ensure you’re receiving any applicable credits.
2. Problems with water and/or sewer lines are fortunately uncommon, but the fixes can be expensive when they do occur. Unfortunately, not many insurance providers offer coverage for these issues. Though rare, we have heard of some insurance providers offering riders covering water/sewer line problems. If you’re concerned about these types of possible issues, and if your current carrier doesn’t have an option, there are companies that specialize in this type of coverage. A simple Google search will unearth a handful of options.
3. As we all know, lumber prices have skyrocketed thanks to our old friend COVID-19. Not only this, but contractors are busy these days. When there is so much work, prices, of course, go up. Unless you are getting ready to build a home or complete an addition, this uptick in building-related costs is not likely at the top of your mind. However, if something happens to your home and you expect your insurance policy to cover the loss, these price increases will take center stage. We suggest asking your insurance agent if your “replacement coverage” is sufficient based on today’s building costs.
I’m not an insurance agent or coverage expert, so seeking professional advice is important. I suggest arranging a meeting with your insurance agent for further details. Here are some additional questions you might want to consider asking:
- Are you aware I have a new roof?
- Will I be covered for sewer or water line problems?
- If not, is this coverage available?
- What gaps do you often see in my coverage?
- Are there any other questions I should be asking?