Key-Points
Common Home Insurance Coverage Scenarios
Situations Usually Covered
How to Submit a Claim
Where to Contact Your Provider
An insurance policy is a contract with the insurer (provider) and the insured (homeowner) detailing who is responsible for the losses on the property. It’s different from an insurance declaration, a document that summarizes the policy and is purposefully brief. Homeowner’s insurance also covers losses that occur away from the property, such as in the case of a camera that was stolen while traveling.
It’s perfectly normal to ask questions about your insurance coverage. Most property owners do not encounter a wide variety of circumstances where they to use it. And each policy is different, especially when there are “riders”, or additional coverage options you pay for on top of your base coverage. Still, there are some scenarios you can safely expect to be covered.
Situations Most Home Insurance Policies Cover
Situations that are outside of your control, like storms, are typically covered. Here's our full list of common situations we’ve seen homeowner's insurance cover:
- When someone dies in the home as a result of suicide or homicide, or whose body is found after some time has passed
- Water damage from roof leaks or poor plumbing
- Asbestos
- Theft/Burglary/Robbery
- Smoke damage from a fire
- Crime scene
Insurance is there for you when something goes wrong that’s out of your control. If any damage to items from your property is the result of a storm, flood, crime scene, fire, or burglary, it's a safe bet you’ll be covered.
For example, a TV contaminated by a bloodspill is a part of a claim even if it isn’t broken. If a fault in your TV or A/C unit causes electrical damage that requires rewiring in your home, you are likely to be covered as well. A/C units can also be covered if they incur damage as a result of a storm or if their air filters, ducts, or internal components are contaminated by a biohazard.
Caveats and Limits
What home owner's insurance does not cover is if something fatally happens to you in your home – and that's why we highly suggest buying life insurance when you buy a house. Too often we've seen families devastated financially by a sudden death in the family. An affordable funeral is possible, but the premium becomes the responsibility of the next of kin.
General maintenance or damage as a result of home neglect and deterioration are unlikely to be covered. Rodent removal is not covered, but house repairs as a result of rodent damage can be. Mold is also not covered by most standard insurance policies, unfortunately.
Every policy has coverage limits, which can be found in your insurance declaration page. While it’s rare that our claims are rejected, it’s impossible to guarantee that every item and situation is covered. It depends entirely on the claims department of your insurance provider.
How Can I Submit a Claim?
Most of the time when you need to submit a claim, it's an unusual occurrence, so the confusion on where to start normal. As a specialized residential and commercial cleaning company, 90% of our customers pay through claims. We understand how time consuming and confusing submitting the claim yourself can be. We do this everyday so you don't have to. You have enough on your plate, so focus on recovering, comforting your loved ones, and we’ll handle the rest.
What We Need From You
For first time and even seasoned owners, knowing the necessary details may be difficult when you no longer have the original documentation. The good news is you can look them up online or confirm them directly with the insurer.
In order for us (or you) to find out the exact details, you’ll need to have the following:
- Name of Insured
- Company Provider (All State, GEICO, AAA, Traveler’s, State Farm, Liberty Mutual, Amica, Farmer’s, to name a few of the big ones)
- Policy Number * if you don't have this, you will need to call the provider to verify your identity and get the number from them directly
Most policies have typical circumstances that they cover, with only the cost and deductible being the difference between packages. These details are stated clearly in your insurance declaration document but can be found in your policy as well.
Contacting Your Insurance Provider
If you need to contact your provider, you can access the website and call the hotline numbers below. All companies below have 24/7 customer support hotlines, but we recommend checking their website before calling first in case of a holiday or unexpected downtime.
All State
GEICO
Traveler's
State Farm
Liberty Mutual
Amica
Farmer's
How Can We Help?
If you need to submit a claim for an unattended death, suicide, or crime scene in your area, we can help. These situations are covered and we're here to help, so call us immediately if you need our services.
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