Will Home Insurance Cover Your Broken Property?

Not every item damaged during any insurable incident is in pristine condition before the incident occurs. If you have property in your home that was broken before a hurricane, fire or other insurable incident, you may be wondering if you can include that property in the claim that you make for the other damages you've experienced.

There really is no yes or no answer to this question. Property that is broken could still have a value that an insurer may reimburse after a claim is made. For example, if your insurance policy covers the actual value of your property then it already subtracts some of the item’s original value for depreciation, which means a broken but repairable item that was totaled during an insurable incident may be considered to have depreciated more than a functional item its age would have. In order to get the appropriate value for your property, describe the pre-existing condition of all the items that have been damaged. When you explain the extent of the disrepair of an item that was broken before the insurable incident, the insurance company will be better able to determine what its actual value was.

If your Progressive homeowners insurance policy covers replacement value of your assets then you may be out of luck because the broken property needed to be replaced before the insurable incident occurred, therefore the need for replacement is not caused by the insurable incident and may not be reimbursable by your home insurance policy.

Knowingly making a claim against your insurance for an item that was broken before an insurable incident without disclosing its true pre-existing condition could be considered fraud. Rather than risk the renewal of your insurance policy, it's generally best to give too much information rather than too little when you make an insurance claim. If you aren't sure how your insurance policy will cover a certain piece of property you own or how to fill out your claim forms, stop by or give us a call 866-251-5220.