Residential Property Claims Guide

4 What May Be Covered by Your Homeowners Policy • Additional Living Expenses (ALE) If your property is not safe for occupancy, keep receipts for all expenses associated with your relocation, such as emergency shelter, clothing, and food. These costs, which are above your normal expenses, may be covered under the ALE portion of your policy. You will be required to account for any covered expenses, so be sure to keep all of your bills and receipts. Any advance payments received will be counted toward your final claim settlement. Additional living expenses are those expenses that are incurred above the normal, and include items such as food and housing costs, and telephone or utility installation costs in a temporary residence. Also, extra transportation costs to and from work or school, relocation and storage expenses, and furniture rental for temporary residence are eligible under additional living expense coverage. Your insurance company may advance you money for these extra costs. They are normally reimbursed on an incurred basis. • Personal Property Making lists of all damaged items is a good place to start documenting your personal property loss. Include the brand names and model numbers of appliances and electronic equipment. If possible, take photographs of the damage. Don’t forget to list items such as clothing, sports equipment, tools, china, linens, outside furniture, holiday decorations, and hobby materials. Put together a set of records – old receipts, bills, and Photo- graphs – to help establish the price and age of everything that was damaged. If your property was destroyed or you no longer have any records, you will have to work from memory. Try to picture the contents of every room and then write a description of what was there. Try also to remember where and when you bought each piece and about howmuch you paid. Video recording your possessions room-by-room before a loss is an excellent way to document damage to your personal property after a loss. Make sure to keep the recording at a separate location, so it is not destroyed. Do not throw out any damaged items until you have been told to do so by the adjuster.