One of the major claims especially during hurricane season is for screened enclosures. In the state of Florida, most of the insurance carriers limit the amount of coverage that they will allow for screened enclosures. The screened enclosure could be covered in the instance of certain losses, but there are limits given for loss due to hurricanes, tornados, or windstorms.
There are insurance carriers on the whole, though, who will typically include ‘hurricane coverage’ for screened enclosures with coverage of up to $10,000. Others exclude them entirely. When they exclude them off of the actual standard homeowners policy, however, they will provide you with the opportunity to purchase add-on coverage in the way of an endorsement with amounts ranging from $10,000 upwards to $50,000. The cost of the additional coverage will vary from each carrier and can go from a bit over a hundred dollars up to a thousand. In most instances, this extra coverage is only available to you when you come up for renewal.
It’s especially important to note that if a carrier does cover the screened enclosure, a lot of times the only bit that they are covering is the aluminum framing, not the screening material, nor would there be allowance made to remove or replace this material in most instances. This is something that would need to be discussed with the agent directly to understand the language in the policy so that you know exactly which ‘parts’ of the screened enclosure will be taken care of.
Does My Homeowners Insurance Cover My Screened Porch?
This is variable depending on the insurance company, the area where you live, the type of screened porch that you have. Each insurance provider carries screened porches differently. A majority of carriers are going to limit the coverage for any type of pool cage or other screened porch where the roof is created out of screens. If the screened porch carries a roof common with that of the home, the carrier is more likely to consider it as being part of the home and won’t limit the coverage. So, depending on the type of screened porch that it is, and what the roof is made of, it might not be required that you purchase any additional coverage. Homeowners insurance may be sufficient to cover the screened porch if the roof is comparable to the house.
It’s really important to check with your provider to note what kind of hurricane coverage is outlined for the screened porch. Yours may be one that is automatically covered with no problem, but you don’t want to get caught in a storm with no coverage at all.
How Much Screened Enclosure Coverage To Have
Even if you are given automatic coverage with your homeowners provider, you need to be sure that it is going to be sufficient to cover replacing the entire screened enclosure or screened porch at 100% of the value and if not, you’ll want to go ahead and purchase the add-on coverage in order to bring the value up to cover it. In the instance of a hurricane, a screened enclosure or screened porch is likely to sustain near-destructive damage and will most often need to be completely replaced, depending on the nature of the construction. Having this coverage will give you peace of mind in the face of a hurricane or any other kind of natural disaster threatening the integrity of your enclosure or porch. Your home is the most valuable asset and all aspects need protecting.
