When you purchase homeowners insurance, it’s only natural to believe that your policy covers the entire house – from the foundation to the roof. But in fact, a surprising number of North Carolina and South Carolina insurance policies don’t cover the entire home – including the foundation.

If you read the fine print in your 50- to 100-page insurance policy, you’ll probably discover a whole range of exclusions, including:

• Hurricanes & tornadoes
• Volcanic eruptions & earthquakes
• Surface water & sewage damage
• Floods, mud slides, & landslides
• Expansive soil & subsidence

Does home insurance cover foundation repair? In most cases, no. Chances are you may have to pay out-of-pocket. So what are your options?

Protecting Your Home’s Foundation – the Best Course of Action

Here are the best ways to protect your home’s foundation:

1. Avoid High Risk Building Sites

This piece of advice makes common sense, but it’s not that easy. In fact, intuition is a fairly poor guide when you consider that roughly 25% of all flood claims are from low-risk flood regions. And take Asheville, NC for example. It only recently became a hotspot for landslides after decades of relative inactivity.

2. Purchase Additional Insurance

If you feel your home’s foundation is at risk from natural disasters not already covered by insurance, consider purchasing additional add-ons to your policy. Sadly, this is not always a sure-fire winner. Some insurance companies won’t cover you for specific natural disasters – even if you ask in advance.

3. Fortify Your Home

There’s not much you can do in the event of an earthquake. But there are steps you can take to protect your home’s foundation from landslides, hurricanes, and other natural disasters. Contact us for a list of preventative measures.

4. Claiming Coverage

You’ve picked a great home in a low-risk neighborhood. You bought all the additional insurance you needed. You even reinforced your foundation in advance.

But then disaster strikes. And your insurance company does everything it can to avoid honoring your legitimate claims for coverage.

Unfortunately, this happens far to often. If you have a legitimate claim and can’t get your insurance company to cover foundation repairs, contact the following state departments to file a complaint:

• South Carolina Department of Insurance’s Consumer Services
  • Telephone: (803) 737-6180
  • Web: http://www.ncdoi.com/Contacts/Contact_Complaints.aspx
• North Carolina Department of Insurance, Consumer Services Division
  • Telephone: (919) 807-6750
  • Web: https://online.doi.sc.gov/Eng/Public/Consumer/Complaint.aspx

Need Additional Help?

Is your home’s foundation in trouble? Eager to protect your property from future natural disasters? Need helping selecting the best insurance policy?

Give us a call today!

Charlotte: 704-545-0206
Asheville: 828-274-2101
South Carolina: 803-802-2477