When you buy a Tucson home, the seller oftentimes pays for the first year of your home warranty. But you need to pay for a homeowners insurance policy yourself. A standard home insurance policy covers damage or loss from theft and fire among other things. But there are a few things that your typical homeowners policy does not cover.
What Homeowners Insurance Does NOT Cover
Acts of God
Hurricanes. Tornadoes. Earthquakes. Floods. A typical homeowners insurance policy will not cover any damage to your Tucson home from a natural disaster. You need an additional policy to cover these situations. Many insurance companies offer special policies for an additional fee if you live in an earthquake-prone like California. While the last earthquake of any significance in Tucson happened back in 1887, we do experience seismic activity on a regular basis. But that may not be enough to warrant paying for an earthquake policy. Yes. A standard home policy covers flooding caused by a burst pipe inside your home. But any damage created by torrential rains or an overflowing river nearby requires a separate flood policy. Most insurance companies do not cover this because the cost to repair damage caused by floods can be extensive. So, FEMA created the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) to fill this void. If you live in a flood-prone area, you might want to consider taking out a policy through them.
Mold
Did the burst pipe cause mold to build up? Were firefighters called to take care of a fire in your home? Damage caused by water from those scenarios may be covered under your homeowners insurance. But if the mold came from a source outside of your home (flood, high humidity, etc.), your policy most likely does not cover that. Also, standard policies do not cover damage caused by something preventable, such as a slow leak inside your home.
Sewer/Drain Backup
When it rains, do the sewers and stormwater runoff drains back up sending water flooding into your yard and/or home? Unfortunately, you may end up paying for the cleanup of these awful messes yourself. Worse yet, sewer backup into your home is not typically covered under a standard homeowner's policy either.
Regular Wear and Tear
Finally, your policy will not cover normal wear and tear. It is only meant to be used for unforeseen emergencies. Therefore, you need to make sure you perform regular maintenance/upkeep on your Tucson home. This allows you to tackle projects in the early stages rather than waiting for something to break down completely and pay much more for it later on.
Always discuss what is and is not covered on your homeowners insurance policy with your insurance agent before you sign for it. Talk to them about your concerns. They can point you in the right direction if additional policies are necessary.
Rebecca Schulte, Schulte Real Estate Group, Your Source for Tucson Real Estate
