Home Building Articles
Insurance Checklist - New Home Construction
October 27, 2009
- Check with your bank/Lending Institution as to what amount of insurance you will
be required to carry. Determine what policies will have to be issued by your closing
date.
- Determine if your location is in a designated flood zone. If so, flood insurance
will be a requirement as opposed to optional. A "pre-construction elevation certificate"
will be required to secure a flood policy if you are in a flood zone. It can be
secured from a survey company based on your building plans even though no construction
has started.
- Determine if your location is in a designated "Wind Pool". If so, your builder's
risk insurance will automatically exclude windstorm/hail as a covered loss. You
will be required to purchase an additional "Texas Windstorm Insurance Association"
policy to cover windstorm/hail.
- Builder's Risk Insurance should be purchased when the building project is started.
- Ensure that "THEFT" is a covered cause of loss on the Builder's Risk policy you
purchase.
- Builder's Risk policies are considered a "fully earned premium" policy which means
that the full premium must be paid at inception and there is no refund for unearned
premium if the structure is completed in less than 12 months.
- If you are in a flood zone, you must submit a "post construction elevation certificate"
to your agent after construction is complete. The same surveyor should be able to
provide this after completion. This will be required in order to renew the policy
after the first year.
- A flood policy on a home under construction does not include coverage for contents.
Once the home is completed, you must notify your agent to endorse the policy to
cover your contents after you move in.
Compliments of: Hammons Insurance Agency