Home Insurance Terminology
The home is bought, the mortgage is set, and now the only step left is to cover it all with adequate insurance.
You start to search and find that the paperwork is filled with terms that you have heard before, but their meaning isn't quite clear.
Read on below and hopefully some of that confusion can be cleared up.
The premium is simply the amount that you pay for your insurance policy to protect your home.
The deductible in regards to property insurance refers to how much comes out of your wallet on each claim, and only deals with the coverage on your personal items and your property.
The higher your deductible, the less you pay monthly and you will also have the benefit of fewer claims.
Peril is a word often used in the coverage paperwork, and refers to something that can cause damage, such as a fire, tornado, flood, or theft of your personal property.
Some of these perils may require extra insurance, such as for flood damage.
Some companies offer this while others don't, but the National Flood Program can help you to find it if contacted at 1-800-638-6620.
The actual cash value is the amount of money needed to cover replace or to fix property that has been damaged.
This amount has the depreciation subtracted from it.
Replacement cost sound similar to actual cash value, but does have differences.
This term explains the amount to replace your property or home with the same materials or ones that are close to them, but it does not subtract depreciation from the amount.
Your credit score is a look at your overall credit at a single point in time.
This includes things that are damaging to your credit, such as late payments, bankruptcy, or similar problems.
Also, you will see the words underwriting and rating.
Underwriting involves their decision to renew your current policy or to give you a new one, and rating is the amount they decide to charge you fro your insurance based on your credit score at this point and time.
Non-renewal of your policy is when the company chooses not to continue offering you insurance.
This can happen when you have too many claims, but there are ways to check and see if the company will work with you.
Try offering to switch to a higher deductible, which will reduce your claims and might tempt them into their continuing to insure you.
The key with home insurance terminology is to ask questions and do your research, as these terms may vary by state.
There are a multitude of websites that have information on tips and frequently asked questions in regards to this type of coverage.
Your state and the federal government are among those that offer these resources fro free, so take advantage of them as they are only a click away.
The more you know when you walk in to sign the paperwork, the better your coverage and your peace of mind will be.
You start to search and find that the paperwork is filled with terms that you have heard before, but their meaning isn't quite clear.
Read on below and hopefully some of that confusion can be cleared up.
The premium is simply the amount that you pay for your insurance policy to protect your home.
The deductible in regards to property insurance refers to how much comes out of your wallet on each claim, and only deals with the coverage on your personal items and your property.
The higher your deductible, the less you pay monthly and you will also have the benefit of fewer claims.
Peril is a word often used in the coverage paperwork, and refers to something that can cause damage, such as a fire, tornado, flood, or theft of your personal property.
Some of these perils may require extra insurance, such as for flood damage.
Some companies offer this while others don't, but the National Flood Program can help you to find it if contacted at 1-800-638-6620.
The actual cash value is the amount of money needed to cover replace or to fix property that has been damaged.
This amount has the depreciation subtracted from it.
Replacement cost sound similar to actual cash value, but does have differences.
This term explains the amount to replace your property or home with the same materials or ones that are close to them, but it does not subtract depreciation from the amount.
Your credit score is a look at your overall credit at a single point in time.
This includes things that are damaging to your credit, such as late payments, bankruptcy, or similar problems.
Also, you will see the words underwriting and rating.
Underwriting involves their decision to renew your current policy or to give you a new one, and rating is the amount they decide to charge you fro your insurance based on your credit score at this point and time.
Non-renewal of your policy is when the company chooses not to continue offering you insurance.
This can happen when you have too many claims, but there are ways to check and see if the company will work with you.
Try offering to switch to a higher deductible, which will reduce your claims and might tempt them into their continuing to insure you.
The key with home insurance terminology is to ask questions and do your research, as these terms may vary by state.
There are a multitude of websites that have information on tips and frequently asked questions in regards to this type of coverage.
Your state and the federal government are among those that offer these resources fro free, so take advantage of them as they are only a click away.
The more you know when you walk in to sign the paperwork, the better your coverage and your peace of mind will be.