If you’re like most homeowners in Florida, your home is your most valuable asset, and should be protected as such. When your home is damaged or destroyed, you need your homeowners insurance claim settled by an insurance company that understands the importance of the place you call home.

When you turn on the news each day, you’ll likely hear about the skyrocketing cost of homeowners insurance.  Many insurance companies offer varying levels of coverage, endorsements and riders, each with their own conditions and limitations.  While cost is a big concern, having the right coverage when you need it is what really matters.

We at Batten Insurance know that no two homeowners insurance policies are created equally. We understand the policy contract and this is what we do best. We sort through the exclusions and conditions for you, so you can rest easy knowing that you have the best possible coverage at the best price without having to learn legal jargon.

For example, we offer a policy that will cover you even if you rent out your home. It will protect you financially if you suffer a loss due to fire, theft, vandalism, or other covered events. It will also cover you in the event someone is injured while on your property and wins a legal judgment against you.

These are some other common coverages you typically see on a policy:

Dwelling — this is the portion of your policy that covers the actual structure (main house). The cost to replace your home can fluctuate from time to time based on the cost of raw material and labor, and of course, supply and demand.

We’ll run a replacement cost analysis on your home to see how much it would actually cost if the worst happened and you had to rebuild.

Other Structures — this covers any structure on your property that is not permanently attached to your house, such as fencing, driveways, sidewalks, and detached buildings like sheds and garages. Usually this coverage is 10% of whatever your dwelling limit is, but can be increased if you need more coverage.

Personal Property — this covers all of your personal belongings like clothing, furniture, electronics, and appliances. Basically anything that would fall out of your house if you turned it upside down and shook out the contents.

Loss of Use —  this covers your living expenses if you need to live somewhere else temporarily because your primary home is uninhabitable due to a loss.

Medical Expense — this covers medical expenses for guests if they are injured on your property, and in certain cases covers people who are injured off of your property. It does not cover health care costs for you or other members of your household.

Family/Personal Liability — this coverage applies if someone is injured or their property is damaged and you are to blame. The coverage generally applies anywhere in the world. When choosing your liability coverage limits, consider things like how much money you make and the assets you own. Your personal liability coverage should be high enough to protect your assets if you are sued. In some situations, an umbrella policy may be necessary to provide extra coverage.

Scheduled Personal Property — there are some situations where you might want special coverage for valuables, or collectibles like jewelry, guns, collectibles, rugs, etc.