The Three Most Common Insurance Claims in Kansas City and How You Can Protect Your Home

I recently spoke with my insurance agent, Mike Tiffany with Allstate, and have some good info to share about the three most common insurance claims in our area: roof storm damage, water back-up, and service line claims. Insurance isn’t exactly an exciting topic, but we all need it and everyone should ensure that they are well protected.

Roof Coverage

Most insurance companies are moving away from that old depreciation chart on roof coverage, and going towards a full coverage option. In the old way, if you have storm damage and an insurance claim, then your insurance company would pay you a percentage of the value of a roof replacement based on the age of your damaged roof. The older the roof, the less money they’d give you. That stinks, right? Now, under the new coverage, the roof is covered at full cost no matter the age of the roof. Of course, in either scenario you have to pay your deductible, and my deductible would be higher with the full replacement value option. But most homeowners will be delighted to have full coverage! Roofs are expensive, and sometimes you just don’t have that kind of money available. Also, those old depreciation charts are confusing, change annually as your roof ages, and can really frustrate homeowners. My insurance agent says this full replacement cost type of coverage is becoming standard in the insurance industry, and people are really happy about it.

Service Line Coverage

Your sewer and water lines are called your service lines. Water lines carry water from the city connection to your house, and your sewer lines carry wastewater away from your house to the city connection. You are responsible for every part of these pipes until they reach the city connection, and these lines can fail and break. And the cost to repair them is thousands. I am regularly hearing horror stories about broken lines so it must be fairly common. For this reason, I always recommend my clients add service line coverage onto their insurance policy. Don’t confuse service line insurance with a “service line warranty”; from my knowledge – insurance coverage and benefits will be better than a warranty (you’ll get more for a claim), but either is better than nothing!

Water Back-Up Coverage

Water back-up damage is generally a result of water coming into your home through a blocked sewer or drain or an issue with your sump pump. For example, a sump pump failure could lead to excessive water in the basement. Or water coming into your home through a blocked drain pipe can cause damage. In our area, these examples are real possibilities so I encourage everyone to consider this type of coverage.

By the way, my insurance agent is Mike Tiffany with the Allstate Agency at 103rd and State Line. Mike is a a personal friend, a client of mine, and I trust him to provide fair, honest insurance advice and rates. Give him a call and make sure your insurance coverage is adequate, and fairly priced. It’s smart to check your coverage and compare rates every few years. Insurance is one of those things that can really range, especially by company and which side of the state line you live.