Home Owners Insurance, What Your Agent may have forgotten to tell you.

Do you know what’s in your home owners’ insurance policy? Recently I had a conversation with some clients and we happen to start talking about our home owners insurance policies.  One of the topics that came up was what you need to do when going away on holidays. 

I know that there is a lot of thought when planning to go on vacation.  You get your lists and make sure you have not missed anything.  You plan the perfect vacation.  Then you come home and find that you had a water pipe burst and you have a lot of damage in your basement.  The first or second thing you do is call your insurance representative right?  Then you hear the representative say, I am sorry but that is not covered under your home owners’ insurance policy.  You are stunned, shocked and angry.  You pay for home owners’ insurance and now you are told you are not covered for the damage.  Why, because your insurance representative may not have brought it to your attention that there is a clause in your insurance policy that states: “If you are planning on leaving your home empty four or more days, especially in the winter, you had better notify your insurance company”.  And more importantly you should arrange to have someone come into your house on a regular basis to check that everything is in working order.  This may include the heating, no burst water pipes, etc.  It is even suggested that water not only be turned off but you should drain your pipes as well if you plan to be away more than four days in the winter.  If your pipes burst and cause water damage you may not be covered.  Now your own specific insurance policy will have its own wording but you get my message.