As a homeowner, life has been smooth so far. What happens when your city passes a new ordinance requiring you to upgrade your property? Without the right coverage, it can be stressful, not to mention costly, to suit new ordinances.
Fortunately, many homeowners' insurance policies come with coverage for ordinances and laws. However, let's examine what your ordinance coverage would be, how you would prepare, and why you would do it.
What Is Ordinance or Law Coverage?
It is a type of insurance that enables a building to be renovated to meet state codes in the event that the building needs to be brought into compliance. Often, this happens when a building is damaged by an extreme incident, or when a city or state passes legislation that mandates mandatory upgrades.
Ordinances may require certain aspects of a building to be repaired or replaced, or they may require the building to be demolished and rebuilt from the ground up.
Local codes vary depending on where you live, and they change continuously. The changes required by new ordinances range from simple and cheap to complicated and costly.
Why Would I Need Ordinance or Law Coverage?
The purpose of this is to prevent you from paying out of pocket for anything that needs to be improved in your home or that needs to be fixed due to a variety of unexpected events. The city may order mandatory improvements on a home for several reasons, and we'll look at a few of the most common.
Law coverage may be needed for the following:
Windstorm resistance codes: New ordinances require the installation of storm windows, shutters, and roofs in areas prone to windstorms. Local ordinances may require homes to be demolished and rebuilt on elevated foundations, such as stilts, in flood-prone areas.
New fire safety codes: New local codes may require stricter fire safety measures. This might involve adding features such as fire extinguishers, or something more complex like installing sprinkler systems or fire escapes.
New city legislation may require you to install handicapped-friendly features in your building, such as ramps or lowered switches.
Changing local ordinances may require you to update or upgrade features in your homes, such as the plumbing or wiring, for safety reasons.
Learn how far the coverage of your homeowners' insurance extends and what the specifics of your policy are. So you'll know if you're covered should your city suddenly demand upgrades.
The normal or law coverage offers full repair, replacement, or upgrade protections that are not available in standard policies. As new local ordinances can be passed at any time, having full coverage is worth it for peace of mind.
Contact us today, we can help you understand how your Home Insurance works well for you.
MELVYN HUCKABY II
Lead Claims Consultant, IICRC Certified
APD Roofing
APRIL C
Office Manager
Marketing Assistant
APD Roofing