Protect What Matters Most

A home policy is one of those things people buy once at a closing table and never read again. Then something happens in January and they find out what it does not cover.

Here is the plain version of what is in there, and the gaps worth closing before the cold comes.

The four parts of a home policy

• Dwelling coverage pays to repair or rebuild the structure itself
• Personal property covers what is inside, from furniture to clothes to tools
• Liability covers you if someone is injured on your property
• Loss of use pays for somewhere to stay while your home is being repaired

Most disputes we see are not about whether someone had insurance. They are about how much dwelling coverage they had, or what counted as personal property.

Rebuild cost is not market value

This is the single most common gap in Maine. Your dwelling coverage should reflect what it would cost to rebuild your house at today's material and labor prices, not what you paid for it and not what a realtor would list it for.

Building costs have moved a lot in the last several years. A policy written five years ago on a number from five years ago can leave you well short of what a rebuild actually costs. It is worth checking that figure specifically.

Flood is separate, and Maine cares

Standard home policies exclude flood damage. Not "limit" it. Exclude it. That surprises people every single year.

If you are anywhere near the coast, a river, or a low spot that collects runoff, ask about flood coverage as its own policy. Plenty of Maine claims come from water that arrived from outside the house, and that is exactly what a home policy will not pay for.

Winter is its own category

A few things worth doing before the first hard freeze:

• Know where your main water shutoff is, and make sure everyone in the house does
• Keep the heat on at a reasonable temperature if you travel, because frozen pipes are a burst pipe waiting to happen
• Ask whether ice dam damage is covered and under what conditions
• Have the roof looked at if you are unsure it can carry a heavy snow load

Take five minutes for an inventory

If you had to list everything you own from memory, you would not get close. Walk through the house with your phone and take video of every room, including inside closets and the garage. Get receipts for the expensive items into the same folder.

It takes five minutes and it is the difference between a claim you can prove and a claim you argue about.

When to call us

Call if you have renovated, added a garage or a deck, finished a basement, bought something valuable enough to need scheduling, or if you simply have not looked at the policy since you bought the house.

We will read it with you and tell you where the holes are, in plain English.