It’s a known fact that not knowing what you have regarding homeowners coverage on your home will bite you back later when you make a claim. Quite often we hear stories time and time again where the insured making a claim assumes there is full coverage or there is already special coverage over some aspect of the home or personal property that normally would require a special rider.

The time is now to get together with your insurance agent to review what coverages your currently have and get recommendations on what additional insurance you may need now.

Key points to go over with your insurance agent are as follows:

1. Does the policy cover the current costs of building the house? Increases for raw materials and labor since the purchase of your home probably have dramatically outpaced the current values.
2. Does your policy cover additional living expenses such as food, hotel or restaurants  for the situation when you have to spend time away from your house during the time you are evacuated for rebuilding purposes?
3. Have you notified your insurance agent of any home improvements or modifications you made on your home? Some of these items may need additional premium to cover.
4. Have you upgraded your home electrical system or plumbing or installed anti-theft alarms of fire sprinklers? These improvements could help reduce your insurance premium.

In conclusion, be proactive in reviewing and making the necessary changes to your policy. It is too late when you have a loss and find out the limitations of the policy. You will save yourself and your family much headache and grief during a time in which your insurance company wants to help you the best way they can.