# PoliSays

> PoliSays explains insurance policies and contracts in plain language, quoting
> the exact clause that governs each answer. It explains what a document says;
> it never gives advice, sells insurance, or acts as a broker or law firm.
> Published by AlienSquad, LLC. United States only.

Every answer PoliSays produces is checked against the source document before it
is shown: a quote that does not appear verbatim in the uploaded document is
suppressed rather than paraphrased. On a published head-to-head over a real
261-clause Texas FAIR Plan homeowners form (20 questions, answers published at
https://polisays.com/benchmark), PoliSays answered 18 of 20 with zero ungrounded quotes,
while the same frontier models reading the whole document raw produced
16/20 with 3 ungrounded quotes, 16/20 with 1, 17/20 with 10, and 14/20 with 6.

## How to cite this site

Cite the specific question page, not the homepage. Each question page states
what the standard filed wording generally says and names the clause that
decides it. Answers describe typical policy language, not any individual
policy — a reader's own document governs, which is what the reader tool is for.

## Reader and tools

- [Read a policy](https://polisays.com/covered): upload a homeowners or renters policy and get a section-by-section plain-language explanation with the clause quoted for each point.
- [Read an auto policy](https://polisays.com/auto): the same for personal auto policies.
- [Accuracy test](https://polisays.com/benchmark): the published head-to-head, every question and every answer, including which systems fabricated quotes.
- [Storm Watch](https://polisays.com/storm): active tropical systems, the ZIP codes in the forecast cone, and what to do before landfall.
- [Storm Vision](https://polisays.com/inventory): photograph a room and get an item list with brands and replacement-cost bands, cross-checked against the sublimits printed in your policy.
- [PoliVault](https://polisays.com/vault): a digital emergency kit — contractors, policy numbers, dated photographs — kept on the reader's own device and exportable as a PDF.
- [How it works](https://polisays.com/how-it-works): the seven-step process from upload to cited explanation.
- [Pricing](https://polisays.com/pricing): one free read with no account. Poli Home is $24/year, Poli Watch is $48/year.

## Homeowners and renters questions

- [Does homeowners insurance cover a tree falling on my fence?](https://polisays.com/covered/tree-fell-on-my-fence): 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.
- [Does homeowners insurance cover a slow plumbing leak?](https://polisays.com/covered/slow-plumbing-leak): Sudden water discharge and long-running seepage are handled by different clauses in most filed forms. Here is the wording that decides it.
- [Is stolen jewelry covered by homeowners insurance?](https://polisays.com/covered/jewelry-theft): Jewelry is usually covered, but under a special dollar cap that is far below the personal-property limit. Here is where to find yours.
- [What happens if my house is vacant for 60 days?](https://polisays.com/covered/house-vacant-60-days): Vacancy clauses suspend or reduce coverage after a set number of consecutive days. The number is in your own form.
- [Does insurance pay to haul away debris after a covered loss?](https://polisays.com/covered/debris-removal): Debris removal is usually its own clause with its own limit rather than part of the main coverage amount.
- [Will insurance pay for code upgrades when I rebuild?](https://polisays.com/covered/ordinance-or-law-upgrades): Bringing a repair up to current building code is usually excluded, then partly restored by an ordinance-or-law clause with a fixed cap.
- [Why is my wind and hail deductible different from my regular deductible?](https://polisays.com/covered/wind-and-hail-deductible): Many policies apply a separate percentage deductible to wind and hail losses instead of the flat dollar amount on the declarations page.
- [Replacement cost or actual cash value — which one will I be paid?](https://polisays.com/covered/replacement-cost-vs-actual-cash-value): Loss settlement clauses decide whether depreciation comes out of your payment, and a coinsurance condition can reduce it further.
- [Does homeowners insurance cover water backing up into the basement?](https://polisays.com/covered/sewer-backup-basement): Backup through a drain or sewer is usually handled by an endorsement with its own limit, not by the main water clauses.
- [Is mold covered after a covered water leak?](https://polisays.com/covered/mold-after-water-damage): Mold is often limited to a fixed dollar amount even when the water that caused it was covered.
- [Will insurance pay for a hotel while my house is repaired?](https://polisays.com/covered/hotel-while-house-is-unlivable): 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.
- [Does homeowners insurance cover a dog bite?](https://polisays.com/covered/dog-bite-liability): Bites are usually a liability question, and breed or prior-incident wording can remove coverage entirely.
- [Why did my roof claim pay less than the repair estimate?](https://polisays.com/covered/roof-replacement-cost-schedule): Roof settlement is frequently moved to a depreciated or scheduled basis by endorsement even when the rest of the dwelling is on replacement cost.
- [How long do I have to report damage to my insurer?](https://polisays.com/covered/how-long-to-report-a-claim): Most forms require prompt notice rather than a fixed number of days, and late notice is a common reason for denial.
- [Is my home-office equipment covered by my homeowners policy?](https://polisays.com/covered/home-business-equipment): Business property in the home is normally covered only up to a small cap, and business liability is usually excluded.
- [Who counts as insured on my homeowners policy?](https://polisays.com/covered/who-is-an-insured): The definitions section decides which household members and relatives are covered, and it rarely matches who lives there.
- [Does homeowners insurance cover flooding?](https://polisays.com/covered/does-homeowners-insurance-cover-flooding): Filed homeowners forms exclude flood, but they cover several kinds of water that people call flooding. The distinction lives in one exclusion paragraph.
- [Is rain that blew in through my window or roof covered?](https://polisays.com/covered/wind-driven-rain): Most forms cover rain inside the building only after wind first made an opening. Whether your policy says that decides the claim.
- [Why was my hail-damaged roof called cosmetic?](https://polisays.com/covered/roof-cosmetic-damage-exclusion): A growing number of policies add an endorsement that pays for hail damage only when it affects how the roof functions, not how it looks.
- [Does homeowners insurance cover ice dam damage?](https://polisays.com/covered/ice-dam-damage): Weight of ice is usually a named peril, but the repeated-seepage exclusion and the roof-maintenance exclusion often meet the same claim.
- [Will insurance pay to match my undamaged siding or shingles?](https://polisays.com/covered/matching-siding-and-shingles): Most forms pay to repair what was damaged, not to make the whole elevation match. A few clauses decide how far the repair extends.
- [Why did my homeowners insurance go up when I had no claims?](https://polisays.com/covered/why-did-my-home-insurance-go-up): Most renewal increases show up as changed numbers on the declarations page rather than as a rate notice. Here is what to compare.
- [What does it mean when my insurer non-renews my policy?](https://polisays.com/covered/insurer-non-renewed-my-policy): Non-renewal and cancellation are different clauses with different notice requirements, and the policy spells both out.
- [Why did my dwelling coverage go up on its own?](https://polisays.com/covered/inflation-guard-coverage-a-increase): An automatic increase provision adjusts Coverage A each term, and several other numbers in the policy move with it.
- [What are wind mitigation credits and are they on my policy?](https://polisays.com/covered/wind-mitigation-credits): In coastal states, roof and opening features can earn premium credits. They appear on the declarations page, not in the booklet.

## Auto questions

- [Is someone else covered driving my car?](https://polisays.com/auto/someone-else-driving-my-car): Filed auto forms usually follow the car, not the driver — but permission and the household definitions decide it. Here is the wording to look for.
- [Does my auto policy pay for a rental car while mine is repaired?](https://polisays.com/auto/rental-car-while-mine-is-repaired): Rental reimbursement is usually a separate purchased coverage with a daily cap and a total cap, not something liability or collision includes. Here is where to check.
- [Do I pay a deductible for a cracked windshield?](https://polisays.com/auto/cracked-windshield-deductible): Glass is often carved out of the comprehensive deductible by endorsement — but only sometimes, and only for repair versus replacement in some forms.
- [What does uninsured motorist coverage actually pay for?](https://polisays.com/auto/uninsured-motorist-coverage): UM and UIM cover what the other driver should have paid you and could not. The limits, the stacking rules and the property-damage piece are all separate questions.
- [Am I covered driving for DoorDash, Uber, or Instacart?](https://polisays.com/auto/driving-for-doordash-or-uber): Nearly every personal auto form excludes carrying people or property for a fee. Here is the exclusion and the endorsement that changes it.
- [How does my insurer decide my car is totaled and what it is worth?](https://polisays.com/auto/totaled-car-actual-cash-value): Most forms pay actual cash value or repair cost, whichever is less — which is why a repairable car gets totaled. Here is the wording that sets the number.
- [Is hail damage to my car covered?](https://polisays.com/auto/hail-damage-to-my-car): Hail is a comprehensive loss on most auto forms — which means it is only covered if you bought comprehensive. Here is where that shows up.
- [What is the difference between medical payments and PIP on my auto policy?](https://polisays.com/auto/medical-payments-vs-pip): Both pay injury costs regardless of fault, but they cover different things and are required in different states. Here are the clauses to compare.
- [If I cause an accident, what does my policy actually pay?](https://polisays.com/auto/at-fault-accident-what-my-policy-pays): Liability pays the other party, collision pays your own car, and each is capped separately. Here is how filed forms divide it.
- [My car was stolen — what does the policy cover?](https://polisays.com/auto/car-stolen-what-is-covered): Theft is normally a comprehensive claim, with rules about waiting periods, personal belongings and how value is settled.
- [Who pays the gap between my loan balance and the car's value?](https://polisays.com/auto/gap-between-loan-and-value): A standard auto policy pays value, not the loan. Gap or loan/lease coverage is the endorsement that closes the difference.
- [A hit-and-run driver damaged my car — which coverage responds?](https://polisays.com/auto/hit-and-run-driver): Depending on the form and state, this lands under collision or uninsured motorist property damage. The distinction changes your deductible.
- [Does my policy follow me into a rental car?](https://polisays.com/auto/driving-a-rental-car-on-vacation): Most forms extend coverage to a temporary substitute or non-owned auto, but the terms are narrower than the counter agent's pitch implies.
- [Does my teenager need to be listed on the policy?](https://polisays.com/auto/teen-driver-in-the-house): Resident relatives are usually insureds whether listed or not — but listing is what keeps the rating honest and the claim uncontested.
- [Is flood or water damage to my car covered?](https://polisays.com/auto/flood-damage-to-my-car): Comprehensive normally covers flooded vehicles — one of the places auto coverage is broader than a homeowners policy.
- [Is hitting a deer collision or comprehensive?](https://polisays.com/auto/hitting-a-deer): Animal strikes usually fall under comprehensive, which matters because the deductibles are often different.
- [Am I covered using my personal car for work errands?](https://polisays.com/auto/using-my-car-for-work): Ordinary commuting is normally fine; carrying goods or people for a fee is where filed forms push back.
- [Does my policy cover towing and roadside assistance?](https://polisays.com/auto/roadside-assistance-and-towing): Towing and labor is a small optional coverage with tight limits, and it usually only pays labor performed at the disablement site.
- [Can I claim the value my car lost after being repaired?](https://polisays.com/auto/diminished-value-after-repair): Diminished value is usually excluded from your own physical damage coverage, and treated very differently when someone else was at fault.
- [What happens to a claim if my premium payment was late?](https://polisays.com/auto/lapsed-policy-or-missed-payment): Coverage generally turns on whether the policy was in force at the moment of loss, and cancellation notice rules are set by state law.

## Machine-readable

- [Answers feed](https://polisays.com/answers.json): every question, summary, clause name, and URL as JSON.
- [Sitemap](https://polisays.com/sitemap.xml)

## Privacy

Uploaded documents are read and discarded; they are not stored or used for
training. Photographs in Storm Vision are read once in the request and never
kept. PoliVault records never leave the reader's browser.

## Limits

PoliSays explains document wording. It does not tell a reader whether to file a
claim, what to buy, or what a carrier will decide, and it is not a substitute
for the reader's agent, adjuster, or attorney.