Think your homeowners insurance covers everything that can go wrong? Not quite! Your policy provides valuable protection, but every policy has exclusions—things it specifically doesn’t cover.
3 Common Texas Home Insurance Exclusions
Flood: Standard homeowners insurance typically does not cover flood damage. And in Central Texas, flooding isn’t just a coastal problem. Heavy rain, overflowing creeks, and flash floods can cause serious damage—even outside a designated flood zone.
Earth movement: Earthquakes, settling, landslides, and other types of earth movement are commonly excluded. Separate coverage or an endorsement may be available depending on your insurer and policy.
Maintenance: Insurance generally isn’t designed to pay for normal wear and tear, deterioration, termites, or damage caused by deferred maintenance. In other words, your policy covers sudden, unexpected problems—not the ones that have been slowly waving a red flag for years.
Can You Fill the Gaps?
Sometimes! Endorsements can add coverage for risks such as sewer backup, mold, earthquake damage, increased rebuilding costs, or certain high-value belongings. Flood typically requires a separate flood policy.
How Do You Find Your Exclusions?
Start with the Exclusions section of your policy, then review your Declarations Page for endorsements and added coverage. If the insurance language feels like it was written by a committee of lawyers with a thesaurus, ask your agent to walk you through it.
A quick policy review can help uncover coverage gaps before you need to file a claim.
Contact our team at Dowd Insurance for a review of the exclusions on your home insurance policy.
