Policy confusing? Ask Poli.
Everything here is drawn from filed forms and general upkeep knowledge: the answer most policies land on, plus the clause headings that decide it. The figures, caps, and endorsements in your own document are the ones that govern.
Each page gives the general answer, why your policy can read differently, and the clauses to look for.
Filed homeowners forms usually treat a fallen tree and the fence it landed on under different clauses. Here is what to look for — then read your own policy.
Sudden water discharge and long-running seepage are handled by different clauses in most filed forms. Here is the wording that decides it.
Jewelry is usually covered, but under a special dollar cap that is far below the personal-property limit. Here is where to find yours.
Vacancy clauses suspend or reduce coverage after a set number of consecutive days. The number is in your own form.
Debris removal is usually its own clause with its own limit rather than part of the main coverage amount.
Bringing a repair up to current building code is usually excluded, then partly restored by an ordinance-or-law clause with a fixed cap.
Many policies apply a separate percentage deductible to wind and hail losses instead of the flat dollar amount on the declarations page.
Loss settlement clauses decide whether depreciation comes out of your payment, and a coinsurance condition can reduce it further.
Backup through a drain or sewer is usually handled by an endorsement with its own limit, not by the main water clauses.
Mold is often limited to a fixed dollar amount even when the water that caused it was covered.
Additional living expense pays the increase in your normal living costs, usually capped by a percentage of the dwelling limit or a number of months.
Bites are usually a liability question, and breed or prior-incident wording can remove coverage entirely.
Roof settlement is frequently moved to a depreciated or scheduled basis by endorsement even when the rest of the dwelling is on replacement cost.
Most forms require prompt notice rather than a fixed number of days, and late notice is a common reason for denial.
Business property in the home is normally covered only up to a small cap, and business liability is usually excluded.
The definitions section decides which household members and relatives are covered, and it rarely matches who lives there.
Rubber washer supply hoses are commonly replaced every 3 to 5 years, and braided stainless ones roughly every 5 to 10. A hose that lets go while nobody is home is one of the most common sources of sudden indoor water damage.
Ask Poli: “A washing machine hose burst while we were out — what does the policy say?”
Tank heaters rust from the inside, so the failure usually arrives as a slow seep or a full tank on the floor rather than a warning. Knowing the tank's age tells you whether you are living on borrowed time.
Ask Poli: “The water heater tank let go and soaked the floor — how is that treated?”
Policy wording usually separates sudden and accidental discharge from damage that seeped over weeks or months. That single distinction decides a large share of denied water claims.
Ask Poli: “How does this policy describe seepage or a leak that happened over weeks?”
Water keeps arriving until someone closes the main valve. Households that can find and turn it in under a minute routinely see far smaller losses than ones that wait for a plumber.
Ask Poli: “What does the policy require me to do right after water damage starts?”
Many policies pay replacement cost on a newer roof but depreciated value on an older one, sometimes through a separate roof schedule or endorsement. Same storm, very different check.
Ask Poli: “Does this policy pay replacement cost or depreciated value on the roof?”
Clothes dryers are behind thousands of home fires a year, and a blocked vent is the usual reason. Clearing the full duct, not just the trap, is the part people skip.
Ask Poli: “A fire started at the dryer — how does the policy handle it?”
Policy language commonly excludes frozen-pipe damage in a home left unoccupied unless heat was maintained or the water was shut off and drained. Vacant-home wording is where that condition hides.
Ask Poli: “Pipes froze while the house was empty — what does the policy say about heat?”
Walk each room with the camera on, open closets and drawers, and store it somewhere off-site. Contents claims stall most often on proving what was there before the loss.
Ask Poli: “What proof of loss does this policy require me to provide?”
Jewelry, watches, silverware, firearms, and cash typically sit under separate sublimits far below the overall contents limit, especially for theft. The main limit is not the number that pays.
Ask Poli: “Is there a separate limit for jewelry, watches, or cash?”
Water rising from the ground, or coming back up a drain, is normally handled outside the standard water clauses and often needs an endorsement. Surface flooding is a different program again.
Ask Poli: “The basement took on water after heavy rain — what does the policy say?”
Debris removal is frequently capped at a small dollar figure per event, separate from the damage to the structure itself. A tree that falls and hits nothing at all is treated differently again.
Ask Poli: “A tree came down in the yard — what does the policy cover for removal?”
Business property, client visits, and business liability are commonly limited or excluded on a residential policy, with a small dollar cap on business equipment. A side business is the usual surprise.
Ask Poli: “I run a business from the house — how does the policy treat that?”
Policies define vacant and unoccupied differently, and a house empty past a stated number of days can lose coverage for things like vandalism or freezing. Extended remodels bump into that clause often.
Ask Poli: “What does this policy say happens if the house sits empty during repairs?”
Smoke alarms are generally replaced entirely about every 10 years and carbon-monoxide units every 5 to 7, regardless of whether they still chirp when tested.
Ask Poli: “Does this policy mention protective devices, alarms, or credits for them?”
Blocked gutters push water back under the shingles, and in cold months they help ice dams form at the eaves. The damage usually shows up inside as a ceiling stain, months after the leaves fell.
Ask Poli: “Water came through the ceiling after an ice dam — what does the policy say?”
Water coming back up a floor drain or toilet is generally handled by a separate endorsement with its own modest limit, rather than by the main water clauses.
Ask Poli: “Does this policy include coverage for water backing up a drain?”
Rising surface water is excluded on nearly every homeowners form, and covered instead by a separate federal or private flood policy with its own deductible.
Ask Poli: “How does this policy define flood or surface water?”
Labour and materials have risen sharply in recent years, so a dwelling limit set a few years ago can sit well below what rebuilding now costs. Many forms require a percentage of full value before replacement cost applies.
Ask Poli: “Does this policy require me to insure the house to a percentage of its value?”
Insurers treat these as attractive nuisances and often add conditions, exclusions, or fencing requirements around them. The wording sits on the liability side, not the property side.
Ask Poli: “Does this policy exclude anything about a pool, trampoline, or dog?”
Short-term rental activity is commonly limited or excluded on residential forms, both for damage guests cause and for injuries they suffer.
Ask Poli: “How does this policy treat renting the place out short term?”
Most forms extend personal property off premises but cap it at a percentage of the contents limit, and items in storage units are often treated differently again.
Ask Poli: “Are my belongings covered when they are away from the house?”
Even when the water that caused it was covered, mould, fungus, and rot are frequently limited to a fixed dollar figure through a separate clause.
Ask Poli: “What does this policy say about mould after covered water damage?”
Forms differ on whether they pay to make repaired areas match the rest of the roof or wall, and some states add wording about reasonable uniform appearance.
Ask Poli: “Does this policy pay to match undamaged siding or roofing?”
Buried water, sewer, and power lines on your lot are typically the homeowner's responsibility, and coverage for them tends to come from a service-line endorsement.
Ask Poli: “Is there coverage for buried water or power lines on my property?”
Additional living expense generally pays the increase in normal living costs while the home is unfit, often capped by a percentage of the dwelling limit or by a number of months.
Ask Poli: “What does this policy pay for somewhere to live during repairs?”
Claim history feeds renewal pricing and eligibility, so a claim slightly above the deductible can be worth more as a repair receipt than as a filing.
Ask Poli: “What does this policy say about how a claim affects renewal or cancellation?”
An appraisal or disagreement clause lets each side name an appraiser and, if needed, an umpire, instead of going straight to court.
Ask Poli: “What does this policy say to do if I disagree with the payout?”
Rubber hardens with time, and many manufacturers suggest replacement around six years regardless of tread depth. The four-digit date code on the sidewall gives the week and year it was made.
Ask Poli: “I lost control on worn tires and hit a barrier — what does the policy say?”
Small chips can often be filled, while a spreading crack usually means full glass replacement — and on newer cars that also means recalibrating the cameras behind the glass.
Ask Poli: “A rock chipped the windshield — how is glass handled here?”
Policies define insured drivers, resident relatives, and permissive users separately, and a regular driver left off the policy can change how a claim is handled.
Ask Poli: “Someone not listed on the policy was driving — what does it say?”
A total loss pays actual cash value, which on a financed car in its first years is often below the payoff amount. That difference is what gap coverage exists to address.
Ask Poli: “How does this policy calculate the payout if the car is totaled?”
Where it exists, it typically pays a set amount per day up to a maximum per loss, which can run out before a long body-shop repair finishes.
Ask Poli: “Does this policy pay for a rental while my car is being repaired?”
Carrying persons or property for a fee is a common exclusion, and food or parcel delivery falls under it on many personal policies unless an endorsement is added.
Ask Poli: “I was delivering food when the accident happened — how is that treated?”
Driver-assist systems mount behind the glass, so a replacement usually adds a calibration step that costs more than the glass itself.
Ask Poli: “Does glass coverage here include recalibrating the safety cameras?”
Uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage exists for exactly that gap, and it is often written at lower limits than the liability side of the same policy.
Ask Poli: “What are my uninsured and underinsured motorist limits?”
The app's coverage typically starts once a ride is accepted, while a personal policy may exclude driving for hire, which leaves the waiting period in dispute.
Ask Poli: “How does this policy treat driving for a rideshare app?”
Water damage to a vehicle is generally handled under comprehensive rather than collision, and a soaked electrical system often totals the car outright.
Ask Poli: “The car sat in floodwater — what does the policy say?”
Many policies allow parts of like kind and quality rather than factory originals, and the wording sits in the loss-settlement or limits section.
Ask Poli: “Does this policy allow aftermarket parts for repairs?”
Sound systems, racks, lift kits, and wraps are frequently limited to a modest figure unless they are specifically scheduled.
Ask Poli: “Is there a limit for custom or added equipment on the car?”
A vehicle sitting at a tow yard accrues daily storage, and coverage for towing and storage is often a small separate line rather than part of the repair.
Ask Poli: “Does this policy cover towing and storage fees after a crash?”
Something broke
Money
Timing and process
People and property
On the road
Money
Other drivers
Other situations
PoliSays explains document wording. It is not an insurer, broker, or law firm, and nothing here is advice.
