You might expect your homeowner’s policy to pay for everything home-related, but that is not really how it works. Your repairs from named peril damages do get covered, but your maintenance to keep the home does not. AFI Insurance serving Denver, CO wants you to understand the ins and outs of home policies so you do not experience any surprises.
When you have a professional tradesperson such as a plumber or electrician conduct a maintenance visit, you pay out of pocket. The standard HO-1 policy does not cover maintenance. It pays for damages from named perils. Your policy might pay for the damages they maintenance visit uncovers, but not the maintenance visit or inspection.
Let’s say that you have the roof of your home inspected and your gutters cleaned. During the maintenance visit, the roof inspector discovers shingle damage and a slight leak caused by a tree limb still laying on the roof. The damage looks relatively fresh and the inspector thinks it happened during the thunderstorm that carried high winds two weeks before. He recommends immediate repairs so that the small leak does not grow and no water damage occurs in your attic. You file a claim on your homeowners’ insurance. The policy pays for the full roof repairs, but not the inspection that discovered the leak.
The standard home policy covers the damage. The insurance companies expect that you will maintain your home to as high a standard as possible. This means you pay for its upkeep, but insurance pays for the unexpected. If a wildfire sets your home ablaze, your home policy covers the damage to the structure and your belongings. If you decide to upgrade your home’s electrical though, you pay out of pocket.
Maintenance visits differ from repair visits under the home policy. Contact AFI Insurance of Denver, CO to learn more about the little things a home policy does and does not cover.
