Let’s ask Blake! What top five questions should you ask your property insurance agent?

At Day Adjusting & Consulting, we’ve been answering questions lately about insurance coverage and wanted to share some of our tips.

Does the policy have a “right of repair” clause?

This means anytime there is damage to your property, the insurance company has the right to select their own general contractor (GC) to do the work on your home regardless of how many bad reviews the GC has; make sure you have control.

Does the policy have “appraisal” and if so, do both parties have to agree or just one party?

When an insurance claim is disputed, there are alternative resolution tools in some policies. This allows you to stay out of litigation and demand the insurance company send acetified appraiser while you select your own certified appraiser to determine the value of your loss rather than two attorneys.

Does the policy have at least 25% (O&L) ordinance and law?

Example, if you have older windows and one breaks, your insurance company owes for the same style window. If you have O&L that states code upgrades, the insurance company would owe for the upgraded window. Code versus builder grade makes a huge difference.

What is your deductible?

Typically, you’ll have two deductibles in your policy. One for hurricane/named storm, and one for everything else. Make sure you know your deductible amount, and if you believe it’s too high, speak with your agent about how to change it BEFORE a storm happens.

Do you have proper coverage for your pool enclosure and other structures?

Other structures are listed as coverage B in your insurance policy. Make sure you have enough coverage for any fencing, gazebos, or detached garages on your property. For pool enclosures, most policies, but not all, exclude coverage and need a separate endorsement to have any kind of coverage after a storm. Speak with your agent to confirm you have pool enclosure coverage. We suggest at least $20K in coverage.

For more questions, visit www.DayAdjusting.com.Blake Day is President/Owner of Day Adjusting & Consulting. He’s known as an expert in his industry and has been interviewed for numerous TV news programs and print articles.
FL License #P195287 TN License #2445048 IN License #3456048 KY License #8556898 LA License #936877 MS License #10826917 CO License #611420