You buy insurance to protect your finances from life’s surprises. But unless you know the finer points of your policies, you could be left with another surprise — no coverage where you thought you had it. We get questions almost daily asking is this covered? We do our best to give the most accurate and easy to understand answers we can offer. I thought it might be good to share some of the more common questions (and one not so common) that we get here in the agency! Hopefully, this will help you to have a better understanding about your own insurance and what is or is not covered!

1. You lend your car to a friend. Does your auto insurance cover him or her? Yes – Generally, your auto insurance will cover a friend driving your car, as long as he or she has a license and has your permission to use the vehicle.

2. During a storm, your neighbor’s tree falls on your house. Whose policy covers the damage? Yours! If a tree falls on your house, you are covered by your own homeowners insurance policy, not your neighbor’s. However, if the neighbors tree was dead already and wasn’t maintained by the owner of that tree, there could be other liability issues against that tree owner.

3. Your basement floods. Good thing you bought a separate flood insurance policy ahead of time. What does it cover? Choose: A. Carpet / B. Furnace / C. Furniture. The answer is B! The only thing on this list that’s covered is your furnace. Flood insurance covers structural elements and essential equipment in a basement, but not living improvements made down there. That means it won’t pay for furniture or carpets in a basement room, or damaged drywall that has been painted. (It will cover those things upstairs, however.) And don’t expect your homeowner’s policy to pick up the tab, either.

4. You rent a car. Does your existing auto insurance protect you in case of damage? Yes – Typically, your auto insurance will cover a car rental. Before you take a trip, you should check to be sure, or you may need to buy insurance from the rental car company. Check with your credit-card company, too — it may also provide coverage.

5. Your 18-year-old child goes away to college. Is she still covered under your health insurance? Yes – Insurers must let adult children up to age 26 (today’s definition of Affordable Health Care) stay on their parents’ policies as long as the child isn’t covered by an insurance plan at his or her own job.

6. Are your child’s belongings covered under your homeowner’s insurance while he’s living in a college dorm? Yes – As long as your child is a full-time student and younger than 24, his belongings are usually covered by the parents’ policy if he lives in a dorm. If he moves off campus, he might need to get his own renters insurance policy.

7. After a shopping spree at the mall, you put the goods in your car. Then you go back in to grab lunch. When you return, you find your purchases have been stolen. Are you covered? Yes – theft of your personal property is covered under your homeowners or renters policy. But bear in mind that the insurance company will probably want proof of your loss, so if your receipts were stolen along with the merchandise, you’ll have to come up with some other way to prove what you bought. Also check with your credit-card company. Some offer extra purchase protection in case of theft.

8. Does your home insurance policy cover you for earthquake damage? No – Unless you buy separate earthquake insurance, you’re not covered.

9. What if a volcano erupts? Are you covered then? Yes – You’re in luck! A standard homeowner’s policy will cover you against a volcanic eruption.

10. If I have a claim, do I call the insurance agency or do I call the insurance company? Call US! We’re here to help you during that tough time and make sure we direct you appropriately in order to get the quickest results for settlement of your claim.

Hopefully these 10 questions with answers can give you better insight into what would be covered in these instances. We have more just like this on our website. Just visit our FAQ page for more in depth information.

Let us know how we can help you! Contact any of our staff at 615.377.1212 or email us at info@BentonWhite.com. We’re help to make insurance easier for you. We want to EARN your business!