In today’s post, we tell you something that interests many people, and this includes anyone who owns or occupies a home. When there are problems at home, you have to resort to home insurance, if you’re thinking about getting one, keep in mind that the premium will be cheaper than what you pay for the car.
Typically, any self-respecting home insurance includes liability coverage, that is, damages caused by the inhabitants of the house (including pets) to third parties, but compensation limits vary from one company to another. Some insurers also take charge of the work of DIY or repair of appliances, and their coverage can be extended to cover robberies or thefts in the public area.
This type of policy is divided into three types:
- Basic
- Medium
- Complete
But even this last one is free of exclusions. So, you do not get scared and know what you can claim and what not, we tell you what 10 situations will not cover your home insurance.
Damages Due to poor Installations
Although you have contracted a policy for your home, insurers believe that the policyholder is required to keep your home in good condition, so you can ignore if you consider that the damage has been caused by lack of maintenance or by the age of the materials.
For example, if the house is flooded and it is found that the pipe that caused the problem was defective, the company will not repair it, limiting its intervention to the location of the fault, which will force us to assume the cost of the repair.
To avoid that your home insurance does not cover you, you must have passed the corresponding reviews that certify the proper functioning of the house, in compliance with the commitment we acquired when taking out the insurance.
The Electrical Damage
As a general rule, your policy will be responsible for the damages suffered by the electrical system of your home, but in no case for those that affect light bulbs, lamps, halogens, fluorescents or similar.
The cost of unclogging pipes
Of course, you will not have to worry about the costs of the house infrastructure or pipe repair, but another thing is that there is a traffic jam. There you will have to be the one who runs the expenses because your home insurance will not cover you.
Accidental breaks
To have access to certain services you will need to hire additional coverage. One of the most common of home insurance is the All Accidental Risk, which includes the accidental breakage of glass, sanitary ware or marble. That is to say; you will be covered if you break your glasses, your mobile screen, the kitchen counter or the sink.
Smoking accidents
Be careful if you smoke and are a bit confused: most insurers will not take care of the damage caused by a badly extinguished cigarette. And beware of leaving objects near a heat source: home insurance will not cover you if they end up damaged.
Theft outside the home
Any home insurance, basic as it may be, usually covers damages for theft and attempted theft. Some also include the theft inside the home, the change of locks or compensation if your card data is used illegally.
If you are away from home, the only possibility you have is that your policy includes robberies on public roads, that is, that it covers you if there is violence or intimidation. If there is not, it is considered a theft away from home, and the normal thing is that you are not protected.
The theft of jewelry and money in cash
As we said, any policy worth its salt will compensate you if there is a theft in your home. Remember, yes, that to be considered “theft” there must be some type of violence or intimidation, otherwise (if, for example, you leave the house door open and you are robbed), we would be talking about a theft, and this is not included in all home insurance.
If you also have to declare the theft of jewelry or cash, keep in mind that many companies will only assume the expenses if they are in a safe deposit box. Given that there are few homes equipped with a safe, this is an exclusion that you should consider.
The goods located outdoors
The limits of home insurance often remain on all four walls of the home, so your company will not normally be responsible for damage to garden furniture due to weather events or the theft of property in outdoor facilities.
Damage to the interior caused by weather phenomena
If leaving the door or window open – or if they have a defective closure – damages occur due to the penetration of snow, water, sand or dust, our home insurance will not cover them.
The damages by wind or rain of a moderate intensity
In case the damages are caused by phenomena related to heavy rains or winds, the insurer will take care of the damage, but it can be denied if the intensity does not reach a minimum, which can be corroborated with a weather report.
What should I take into account when hiring a home insurance?
Despite these exceptions, hiring a policy for your home is the best way to protect what will surely be one of your biggest investments. The key is to look at the services included in each policy and hire the best offer in relation to quality/price. So that you do not mess up, we remind you of some aspects to keep in mind when you review your home insurance:
- Any exclusion must be reflected in the contract, so take out the magnifying glass and study in which cases you are not covered. Here we have told you some, but each home insurance has different conditions.
- Check the fixed compensation limits per claim and the value of the replacements. For example, most home insurances indicate that compensation for a damaged good is made at a new value instead of a real value.
- Remember that a home insurance allows you to distinguish between continent (the infrastructure of the house) content (the goods of the interior). If, for example, you have a flat and rent it, maybe you are only interested in securing the continent. And vice versa, if you live in a leased, it is possible that your tenant has not contracted any protection on the content, and you have to be the one who contracts this policy.
