The storms that went through the Wadsworth area earlier this week should serve as a reminder to homeowners to take a look at their insurance policies.
Dan Kelso, President of the Ohio Insurance Institute, says homeowners need to review their insurance policy annually to make any changes.
“If you have coverage that’s less than 80-percent of the total value of your total property, when you go to settle the claim, the claim won’t be for 100-percent of the loss,” explained Kelso. “You have to keep your valuation on the coverage of your policy somewhat equivalent of the market value of your property.”
Damage to roofs, walls and ceilings caused by winds, heavy rain and downed trees is typically covered. But Kelso said companies have different rules caused by hail and floods.
“You have to consider the whole service and claims side. If the policy is a little more expensive than the other one you’re looking at, there may be a reason for that. It could be better service or better claims service. I wouldn’t advise anyone to shop totally on price alone.”
If you think your house will be able to dodge damage caused by severe thunderstorms that come through the area, guess again.
“Over the past 7-8 years, we’ve had a whole series of weather-related incidents, such as wind, hail, water/rain storms, they can happen anywhere, particularly this time of year,” said Kelso.
Another round of storms is in the muggy forecast for northeast Ohio this weekend.
If you have any storm related damage and need to file a claim, you should photograph it and contact your insurance company.
