Thursday, 5 September 2013

Guaranteed Replacement Cost Coverage

By Brentz Walker


The majority of us know the phrase "guaranteed building replacement", but it's only a small amount who really know what that means.

The majority of home insurance policies provide this important type of coverage. Simply put, this means that the costs of replacing your home, even if it's more than your policy's limit, will be paid by your insurance company in the event that your home must be rebuilt after a major loss.

It appears that you are completely protected, correct? Keep in mind that this kind of coverage typically comes with some conditions:

You need to insure the home to 100% of its replacement cost as determined by the insurance company. There are evaluation tools that your insurance agent will use, along with your knowledge of the home, to calculate the replacement cost.

You are responsible to inform your insurance agent if you do renovations to your home that increase it's replacement value. Replacement values would be increased if you finish the basement or add on to the home, and your policy must be amended to reflect the new value of your home.

You accept the yearly adjustments made to the policy. The replacement cost of your home can increase because of many things, including inflation, so the insurance agent will adjust this accordingly.

If there is a tragic loss of your home, it will be rebuilt on the same site.

Damages that are caused by flooding or earthquakes are typically not covered by a standard home insurance policy. There could be other exceptions like intentional loss, neglect, general power failure, earth movement, and war damage is excluded as well. Reconstruction can cost dramatically more if there have been building code upgrades, making building standards more stringent. In a case where a newer, more expensive type of wiring is needed in the new home, you must foot the bill for the difference in price between the original wires and the newer type needed.

These restrictions may vary from one company to another, so it's important to review your specific policy with your agent. If you don't comply with all of the conditions, your coverage will be limited to the amount shown on your policy. Hopefully, this will be enough to rebuild your home. After the original amount is paid out, the homeowner will have to incur the rest of the cost on their own.

Some providers do not offer guaranteed building replacement on rental or vacation properties; for these properties, the policy's limit is the maximum coverage.

In most cases, an increase of 10 or 15 percent will be added to an insurance policy, for those who want replacement coverage instead of cash value. For those who suffer a tragic loss of their home and the contents inside of it, replacing them by the homeowner immediately out of pocket is not an option, as it is just too costly. By becoming familiar with your homeowners insurance policy, you will be sure to have the coverage you need when you need it.



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