Preparing Your Home For An Insurance Inspection

To get or maintain homeowners’ insurance, your insurance company will want to see that you’ve had a recent inspection. The purpose of this inspection is to help the insurer reduce their risk by alerting them of current or potential issues that may decrease its value. If you’re about to undergo an insurance inspection at your home there are a few categories of issues that you may like to address in advance of your inspection.

Bear in mind that these will all come up with your inspector, but getting a head start on some of these projects can put you in better standing with your insurer.

Investigate The Exterior
One of the first things that the insurance inspector will do is check any issues on the outside of your home which may make it unsafe or subject to future damage, or which are not problematic yet but may need to be addressed in the future (think again roofs). For example, the inspector will look for damage to the roof or signs of aging that show it will need to be replaced. He or she will also check the gutters which, if left in poor condition, will eventually cause damage to the roof. Any large or aging trees, as well as trees that are too close to the house, will come up during the inspection. Take note of trees that frequently drop branches or that have large limbs hanging over your roof. Anything that leaves your home vulnerable to the elements like broken windows or damaged siding will be of particular interest to the inspector. And finally, check for problems like cracks in the foundation which can damage the structural integrity of the home.

Check The Utilities
Once inside (and sometimes under) your home, the inspector will have his eye on the utilities. How old is your plumbing? Is your home old enough to still have knob and tube electrical? Do you have enough GFCI outlets in your kitchen and bathrooms? You may want to familiarize yourself with the general code requirements so that you know the very basic expectations for each of these rules.

Think About Emergencies
And finally, how prepared are you in case of an emergency? Your insurance inspection will include a review of your fire and CO2 alarms so make sure they are properly installed and filled with fresh batteries. You may want to invest in a fire extinguisher and make sure that each room in the house has an easy regress in case of a fire.

Homeowners insurance is a critical component to keeping your family and your belongings safe within your home. When preparing your home for an insurance inspection it’s important to put yourself in the mindset of an investor. What are the issues that make your home a poor investment? By addressing as many of those as possible before your insurance inspection you increase your chances of passing with flying colors. If you’d like to schedule an insurance inspection, give us a call today.