HOUSTON — Is your home fully covered from a storm?
Homeowners in Florida are discovering this month that they're not, leaving them liable for thousands of dollars in repairs.
It's a reminder to check on your homeowners' insurance every now and then, because your coverage may be much less than you think.
Josiah Jouett watched as a tree fell on her neighbor's home over the summer. Luckily everyone was fine and her insurance covered the bulk of the cost, but that hasn't been the case for a lot of people, especially after Ian. That's because most insurance policies don't cover trees downed by wind, according to Jennifer Pike of the Insurance Board.
"If a tree comes down in your yard and it causes no damage, but just falls in your yard, unfortunately, that falls on you," Pike said.
Now if a tree hit your roof, or the wind ripped off shingles, your homeowners' insurance should cover cleanup and repair costs. However, if a tree lands in your yard without damaging anything else, you are typically not covered unless you have an additional rider for tree and landscaping.
Even if your policy will pick up the pieces after a storm, what kind of coverage you have makes a big difference. A basic policy may not want to pay for top-quality windows, real wood siding or granite counters.
Only full replacement coverage will restore everything in "today's" dollars.
Many Hurricane Ian victims are also discovering they weren't covered for the water damage to their homes, because flood insurance is a different policy that is only mandatory if you live in a flood zone.
So give your agent a call and see if you're covered for floods, fallen trees and full replacements, so you don't waste your money.