Am I Covered?

4/20/2020 (Permalink)

Insurance is extremely important when owning a home and/or building.

SERVPRO of Southwest Lubbock gets a lot of questions about insurance and if a loss is covered. Our staff is fully trained to know how to answer these questions. We are not insurance agents, but we have a lot of experience with several different types of claims over our combined 80 years in business. Each claim is treated individually. We take our time getting all the information about the loss and determining what the best course of action would be. We walk people through each step of the way. 

Now for important tips for your insurance policy:

1. Confirm you have an endorsement for sewer backup coverage. Sewer backups cause more damage than a regular water damage. As a restoration company, we also must protect our employees with personal protective equipment, which includes additional charges as well. 
2. Confirm you have extra coverage for mold. Especially in Texas, there are stringent laws about mold remediation and must be followed closely.
3. If you own an older home or building, make sure you have code upgrade insurance. God forbid something happens that you need to upgrade your entire electrical system or plumbing system. Both systems can become extremely costly, so for a little bit extra a month in insurance, it is worth it. 
4. Additional Living Expense (ALE) is what is used if you must move out of your house for a while to get the home rebuilt after any type of damage. ALE is used for hotels, food, or even a long-term rental home. As you can imagine, this can become very pricy as well. 
5. If you are renting, have renter’s insurance, especially if you are in a multi-unit facility. You may never believe you will have a loss, but what if your neighbor falls asleep with a pan on the stove and it catches fire. Your entire apartment's contents may be non-salvageable. Your renter's insurance is what pays you back for your contents.
6. When going to get renters insurance, be realistic on the price range of all your personal belongings. Remember all the small items, as well. One bottle of spice is $3, but if you have 100 of them, that is $300. The money accumulates quickly, so do not skimp on the insurance. 
7. There are things in life you can get for cheap, insurance should not be one of them. Take your time, find the best agent, and get the right coverage. 

SERVPRO® of Southwest Lubbock is here to help with any questions that may arise.