When the weather outside is frightful your thoughts may be anything but delightful. You may actually be wondering if your home insurance will cover you for damages caused by weather events. The simple answer is yes it does but not every weather event. If you have a good insurance agent they will recommend that you add on to your policy any deficiencies that it may have for the area where you live. The Phil Klein Insurance Group in West Bloomfield, MI partners with more than 90 top carriers to provide our customers with the best possible choice. 

These are some of the weather events that are covered by home insurance:

Tornados

A tornado is a column of air that rotates at up to 250 miles an hour. It is caused by thunderstorms and some severe thunderstorms spawn multiple tornados. The results are devastating. In the United States, more than a thousand tornadoes occur yearly causing billions of dollars in damage. Damage from less severe wind storms is also covered.

Ice Storm

Ice storms happen when the air on the ground is cold enough to freeze the rain as soon as it hits an exposed surface. The National Weather Service defines an ice storm as a coating of more than a quarter of an inch of ice. The weight of the ice collapses tree branches and they can cause a lot of damage. Electric wires also come down and cause power outages. If a tree branch damages your home or outbuilding it will be covered and the cost of removing the branch will also be included. If the branch falls but doesn’t hit anything, you must remove it yourself. 

Snow

Snow damage is covered in most cases by your home insurance. 

These are some of the weather events covered by typical home insurance. Always check your policy to be sure about any coverage. In West Bloomfield, MI the Phil Klein Insurance Group will be happy to talk to you about home insurance coverage on the telephone or in our office. 

If you’re doing some renovations in your home, your home insurance policy may offer some limited protection for lost building materials, but it’s unlikely that you’re going to take the time to add every 2×4 and box of screws to your inventory for small projects, and even less likely that you’re going to be willing to file a home insurance claim on thirty dollars worth of lumber you were using to rebuild a window frame.

What you’re going to want to consider instead is asking your home insurer about renovation insurance, or "dwelling under construction insurance." This is an additional policy that you can buy from the insurance provider that will protect you against many of the risks you’re going to face as a homeowner while remodeling your home. That’s going to include common hazards that can take place during construction, as well as any building materials and tools that may be lost or damaged over the course of the project.

Of course, insurance always comes down to what you’re comfortable replacing yourself. If you’re doing small renovations, it might be wiser to simply not worry about it. It’s not hard for most homeowners to replace a single window and some hand tools out of pocket. When you have a much larger project though, adding a whole new bedroom, completely remodeling the bathroom, that’s when you’re going to be glad that you invested in renovation insurance.

If you’re looking to get covered in West Bloomfield, MI, get in touch with Phil Klein Insurance Group. At Phil Klein Insurance Group we can compare quotes from several insurance companies to get West Bloomfield, MI homeowners the protection they need.

Spring is the perfect time to give your home a vigorous cleaning, get organized, and discard or donate unused items. Once you have your home in great shape, it’s time to take a look at your insurance policy. We recommend that clients of the Phil Klein Insurance Group in the greater West Bloomfield MI area review their homeowner’s policies on a regular basis.

Your Insurance Needs Change – It’s Important that Your Insurance Policy Keeps Up

• Changes in the value of your home – as the value of your home changes, so do does your coverage requirements. If there is a catastrophic event that makes your home uninhabitable, you will need the proper coverage to rebuild or relocate your family. Make sure that your policy levels are sufficient to cover the needs of your family.
• The purchase of high ticket items and electronics – personal belongings can add up to a significant amount, especially when you consider all of the devices that every member of the family has. Be sure that these items are covered in the event of loss or damage. 
• Updates and remodels to your home – when you have a major overhaul to your home, such as updating the kitchen and bathrooms or putting on an addition, your current policy will need to be updated to reflect this work. 

Our homes are an important part of our lives, and likely the largest investment that we will make in our lifetimes. Be sure that yours has the protection that is necessary to protect your family!

Don’t wait until it’s too late to find out that your homeowner’s insurance policy is no longer adequate for your needs. Call the Phil Klein Insurance Group today and make sure that your West Bloomfield, MI home has the protection it needs!