Pennsylvania Residents' Guide to Home Insurance

If you live in Pennsylvanian and own your own home, then you are probably familiar with the importance of a good plan. A homeowner's policy provides for liability protection for you in case someone is injured on your property (such as a worker spraining their ankle falling off a ladder), or if your property injures someone else (such as if a slate shingle falls off your roof and hits someone). This liability component will pay for medical expenses and, if necessary, also count toward your defense if a suit is filed against you as a result of something your agreement covers. In addition to liability, a plan provides protection for the valuables you keep inside your house in the event that they are vandalized, lost, stolen or destroyed. Finally, a good plan also pays for damage to your dwelling in many circumstances due to storms, fire, vandalism or accidents.

But what about the things that a plan doesn't cover?

Most people are surprised (unfortunately after the fact) to learn that their homeowners polcy does not cover damage from natural floods such as from storms or rivers overflowing. Your policy will probably provide compensation for water damage due to things like your pipes bursting or someone who accidentally left the tub running but that would be the extent of it for a normal policy. During the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, this little common provision brought to light the necessity of this type of provision for carriers as protection - most people who had not thought to purchase add-ons found that they were not covered for the extensive water damage done to their house in the storm.

Review Your Agreement to Ensure You are Taken Care Of

The best way to be sure you have the best protection is to pay careful attention to your circumstances and your policy. If you live near the banks of the Susquehanna river, for example, you may want to consider contacting your provider and investing in an upgrade for flood damage coverage. The price of this add-on will be based on several factors including your history with the carrier and how far you live from any bodies of water. Overall, the insurance is not that expensive and may wind up saving you thousands of dollars in losses and heartache that can be prevented for a small extra premium paid to your plan each month.