Welcome to today’s episode of The Murray Group Mailbag, where we answer your questions about insurance. Today’s question about home insurance comes from Samantha in Berne, NY and Joe asks:
Does home insurance cover roof leaks?
Watch the video below or read the video’s transcript if you don’t have the capability of watching the video. If you’d like to submit your own question, you can do so in the comment section below this post, on our Facebook page or you can email us at insurance@murraygrp.com.
Does home insurance cover roof leaks?
Watch this short video to get the whole answer.
Video Transcript:
Hello and welcome to another episode of the Murray Group Mailbag. My name is Ryan Hanley. I am the director of marketing and sales here at at the Murray Group Insurance Services and our Murray Group Mailbag feature is just very simply people ask us questions every Every day, our clients, prospects, people just from the community ask us questions every day about insurance and insurance-related products and we felt that it would is best if we answer those questions in video, posted them on Youtube and our website, and made the answers accessible to everyone for free.
So, if you have a question, you can always submit your question below this, whether it’s YouTube or on our website in the comments. I collect all those questions and use them for future episodes. Just leave your name and your town and I’ll mention them right here. So today’s question comes from Samantha, and Samantha is from Bern [sp?] which is not too far from standing and Samantha’s question is, Does home insurance cover roof leaks?
So, Does home insurance roof leaks? Again, very straightforward question. But something that’s on everybody’s mind, especially this time of year – I’m filming this in kind of late fall – and what’s happening is water is starting to freeze. So we just had one of our first freezes a few days ago and when water freezes, it expands and it starts to create water that may have gotten under shingles during the summertime, dampness starts to move, shift shingles, things crack and all of a sudden we start to get water dripping into our homes and that’s not pleasant.
Well, roof leaks are very dependent on what form of policy you have. So, if you have a special form policy, which may not necessarily mean anything to you, but just remember the term special and ask your homeowners’ insurance agent about whether you have a special form policy or not. special foreign policy then just about anything that could create a roof leak that isn’t done intentionally is going to be covered.
on your homeowners insurance policy. If you have a broad form policy, which is actually a step down, and just remember the term broad, then there are some scenarios where you can have roof leaks, where the roof won’t be covered. Now in every case if water gets into your home and damages the interior your interior is going to be covered, as long as you have a broad or special.
If you have a basic form policy, which is the farthest step down then you may not have coverage for that either. So very important that you talk to your homeowner’s insurance agent about which coverage form you have special being the best, then abroad is a step down, then basic is the minimum, at least in NY state.
So, if you have a special form policy just about anything that can happen to your roof and the leaks and the resulting damage underneath is going to be covered obviously in a case by case basis, so you know, not guaranteed that your claim covered but in most cases will be broad. There are some scenarios.
The most specific is water that collects or freezes in the eaves of your home, lifts shingles and water gets underneath them when it freezes at the eaves, not covered under a broad home policy, at least in most cases So again these are the things that you want to talk to your independent insurance agent about make sure that if you have these questions.
You want to make sure that you have a special foreign policy the costs difference is very minimal in most cases. So, Samantha, I hope that this answered your question. Just very important we talk to and communicate with our insurance agent about the coverages on our policy. But just remember, that roof leaks with a special from policy, in the vast majority of cases, are going to be covered, so special form policy, very, very important.
My name is Ryan Hanley, I’m the director of marketing and sales here at the Murray Group, this has been the Murray Group Mailbag and if you’d like to submit your own question to be answered on a future episode, do so on the comments below. Whether you are watching us on YouTube or on our web site, just leave the question in the comments below, and I’ll make sure that it makes on a future episode of the Murray Group Mailbag.
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This video is part of an ongoing series dedicated to helping consumers get answers to their insurance questions.
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We’re here to help you find peace of mind.
Thank you and good luck,
Ryan Hanley, CIC
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