Pennsylvania Homeowners Insurance Guide

If you live in Pennsylvanian and own your own home, then you are probably familiar with the importance of a good homeowners insurance policy. A homeowner’s policy provides for liability protection for you in case someone is injured on your property (such as a worker spraining their ankle falling off a ladder), or if your property injures someone else (such as if a slate shingle falls off your roof and hits someone). This liability protection will pay for medical expenses and, if necessary, also count toward your defense if a suit is filed against you as a result of something your insurance covers. In addition to the liability protection, a homeowners insurance policy provides protection for the valuables you keep inside your home in the event that they are vandalized, lost, stolen or destroyed. Finally a good Pennsylvania homeowners insurance policy also pays for damage to your home in many circumstances due to storms, fire, vandalism or accidents.

But what about the things that a homeowners insurance policy doesn’t cover?

Most people are surprised (unfortunately after the fact) to learn that their homeowners polcy does not cover damage from natural floods such as from storms or rivers overflowing. Your policy will probably provide coverage for water damage due to things like your pipes bursting or someone who accidentally left the tub running but that would be the extent of it for a normal policy. During the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, this little common provision brought to light the necessity of this type of provision for insurance companies as protection - most people who had not thought to purchase extra protection found that they were not covered for the extensive water damage done to their home in the storm.

Check Your Protection Levels

The best way to be sure you have the best protection is to pay careful attention to your circumstances and your policy. If you live near the banks of the Susquehanna river, for example, you may want to consider contacting your insurance company and investing in an upgrade for flood damage coverage. The price of this additional coverage will be based on several factors including your history with the insurance company and how far you live from any bodies of water. Overall, the insurance is not that expensive and may wind up saving you thousands of dollars in losses and heartache that can be prevented for a small extra premium paid to your insurance policy each month.