Why Spring Is a Smart Time to Review Your Home Insurance 

You’ll see what winter did to your house when spring finally rolls around, unfortunately. Some of the more common problems include ice damaging your gutters, wind shredding some shingles, and cold weather freezing your pipes. Water damage can infiltrate through poorly caulked and sealed parts of your walls. 

That’s why, if you have noticed some gaps in your property, you should also see if you have any gaps in your homeowners policy. Review home insurance to make sure that you can enjoy the benefits of that old saying, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” in this helpful spring policy review guide from your friends at Acceptance Insurance. 

What Winter Can Change About Your Home 

Winter storm claims: what’s actually covered? You might be surprised at what sorts of things winter can do to your house when conducting your spring insurance checklist. Your roof is the biggest surface on your property, and snow and ice can definitely wear it down over time. Water also likes to find its way in through every nook and cranny it can locate. Gutters take the brunt of damage from ice and water, and any loose vegetation on your property is also likely to cause problems during snowstorms and their aftermath. 

This is also a good time to walk around the house and really take a look. Check the roof line from the ground. Look at the gutters. Look around windows and doors. Check the attic, basement, garage, and yard. If you see damage, take pictures. If you had a plumber, roofer, or contractor fix something over winter, keep those records, too. 

Why Spring Is a Natural Time for an Insurance Checkup 

With spring comes sunshine and that glorious daylight savings time. It’s also a great opportunity to take a look at your property and see what’s happening, in addition to your home insurance coverage check. You should walk the yard, see what’s broken, and start cleaning up. Along the way, a seasonal insurance review makes sense, too. 

Many homeowners think about their policy when it’s time to file a claim, but being a smart homeowner means that you should do regular home insurance updates to make sure your policy has what you need to keep your property and bank account safe if you need to file a claim, which is one of the most important reasons to review home insurance regularly. 

Spring is also a smart time because costs change. The price of labor goes up. Building materials cost more. Repairs are not cheap. So even if you did not do a big remodel, it may cost more to repair or rebuild your house now than it did the last time you looked at your policy. 

Common Reasons Home Insurance Needs Updating in Spring 

The biggest reason you need to look into home insurance updates in the spring is for winter repairs. If you repaired a roof leak, replaced gutters, fixed a burst pipe, or had water damage cleaned up, that is worth reviewing. Even if the repair was small, it is smart to make sure your house details are still accurate. 

Another common reason to do a home insurance coverage check is spring projects. A lot of people build a deck, put up a fence, replace a roof, finish a room, or update a kitchen or bathroom in the spring. Those changes can affect the value of your house and the cost to rebuild it. That means your policy may need home insurance updates. 

When it comes to doing your spring home insurance review, you may find that your stuff has changed, too. Maybe you bought a new TV, tools, patio furniture, or a nicer grill. Maybe you bought a computer and now work from home. Maybe you turned a spare room into an office. A home insurance policy review should not just focus on the house itself. It should also cover what is inside it. 

What to Look for When Reviewing Your Home Insurance 

The best thing to do when you review home insurance is to start simple. Make sure that your address, home type, and any updates you’ve made to your house are right. Also, make sure that it’s not a mystery if you’ve replaced your roof or remodeled your house. 

Next up, look at your coverages. You want to understand what it would cost to rebuild or repair things if a covered loss occurs. Your belongings matter too — so make sure you walk through your house and keep an eye on everything you see, including furniture, electronics, and decorations. 

Finally, when you do your seasonal insurance review, you want to look at the numbers. Your liability, deductible, and premiums all matter. Remember that your deductible is the amount you have to pay out of your own pocket before your policy kicks in. The key balance here is between your premiums and your deductible — the higher your deductible, the lower your premiums. It all depends on whether you have the cash in the bank to cover costs out of your own pocket. 

How Often Homeowners Should Review Their Coverage 

So, how often should you review your policy? You should do a seasonal insurance review at least once per year, and spring is a great time because it gives you a chance to act before bigger problems emerge. You should also review your coverage after any big change. That includes repairs, remodels, large purchases, a new work-from-home setup, or changes in who lives in the house. 

Even if nothing major happened, it is still worth it to review home insurance yearly. A lot can change in twelve months. Prices go up. Homes age. You buy things. Risks shift. A policy that made sense last year may be less helpful this year. A good habit is to take fresh photos of the house and your belongings once a year. Save them somewhere safe, like cloud storage or your email. If you ever need to file a claim, that can make things much easier. 

Why Reviewing Your Policy Before Storm Season Matters 

In many places, spring and summer bring heavy rain, hail, wind, and lightning. That can mean roof damage, fallen branches, siding damage, and water getting where it should not be. If you wait until a storm is already on the way, you may be rushing through questions you should have asked earlier during your home insurance coverage check. 

If wind damages your roof, do you know what your deductible is? If a tree falls on the garage, do you know how to start a claim? If water backs up into the basement, do you know whether that is covered? These are not fun questions, but they are useful ones. 

Make Sure Your Home Is Well Protected With Acceptance Insurance 

A spring home insurance review is one of those boring tasks that can still save you real money and stress. That is the goal of a good home insurance policy review. Fewer surprises. Better protection. More peace of mind when the weather turns bad or something breaks. 

And we can help at Acceptance! To get started with your customized policy quote, give us a call at (877) 405-7102, get a homeowners quote online, or visit one of our locations near you today — and we’ll help you review home insurance with a professional eye. 

FAQs 

Does Reviewing My Policy Mean I Have to Change It? 

Of course not. You don’t have to change anything if you’re happy with your current policy. But reviewing is not up for debate — you should go through your spring insurance checklist at least annually. 

Is Spring a Good Time to Switch Home Insurance? 

Yes, spring home insurance reviews make a lot of sense. Spring is a good time to compare options because many homeowners are already doing repairs, checking for winter damage, and getting ready for storm season. 

Do Home Insurance Needs Change Even If I Haven’t Filed A Claim? 

Yes. Your needs can change even if you never file a claim. Repair costs can rise. Your house can age. You may buy new things or make updates to the property. That’s what makes a spring insurance checklist so important. 

Can Inflation Affect My Home Insurance Even Without Renovations? 

First of all, a quick definition — inflation is what happens when the prices of things go up (and in the case of policy, that would be repair costs, materials, etc). So yes, even without renovations, things are getting more expensive in the economy, and that can affect your premiums in the long run. 

Does Working From Home Change Home Insurance Needs? 

It definitely can. If you keep work equipment at the house or use part of your house for business, it is worth bringing up during your home insurance policy review.