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How To Read Your Insurance Policy: What You Need To Know

January 18, 20242 min read

Whether you’re signing up for coverage, filing a claim, or dealing with an insurance claim denial, you need to understand how to read your homeowner’s insurance policy in order to discover what you’re owed. We’ve got you covered.

Keep reading to learn about how to read your insurance policy to protect against bad faith insurance tactics. 

  1. Start With the Basics: The Declarations Page

The first place you’re going to turn to start figuring out your policy is your declarations page. Your declarations page serves as a basic overview of what’s included in your policy. That means things like your coverage period and coverage types, policy number, insurance contact information, premiums, and deductibles. This information will get you a good way toward understanding your policy, but it doesn’t include the details, so don’t stop here.

  1. Learn Your Terms: Policy Definitions

We get that it can be tempting to skip the glossary portion of your insurance policy, but even common words can have unexpected definitions when it comes to insurance terminology. Before you get into the meat of your insurance policy, make sure you understand the language by reading the definitions provided at the front of the policy. 

  1. Sweat the Small Stuff: Don’t Skip the Fine Print

On a related point to the one above, we want to stress the importance of checking the small print in your policy. The small print is where you’ll sometimes find things like exclusions and specifics, and missing out on that information could leave you with a big gap in your policy understanding.

  1. Meat and Potatoes: Your Policy Coverages

Next, we’ll get into the real meat of your insurance policy: the policy coverages, also known as insuring agreements. Insuring agreements lay out what’s covered by your policy. If there are multiple types of coverage offered by your policy, each will be described separately here. Remember to keep referring to the policy definitions as needed.

  1. The Nitty Gritty: Exclusions, Limitations, and Conditions

Last but not least, you’ll need to learn about the exclusions, limitations, and conditions of your coverage. You might think that conditions and limitations aren’t a big deal, but the truth is that exclusions can sometimes mean the difference in whether or not your claim is denied. Keep in mind that some exclusions on your coverage will appear in other sections. That’s why it’s so important to read the fine print.

Insurance Claim Denied? Texas Bad Faith Insurance Lawyers Can Help

Many of the people turning to this blog for help will be policyholders trying to figure out whether or not their claim was wrongfully or rightfully denied. If you’re not sure, don’t guess. A Texas bad faith insurance lawyer can help you figure out whether or not you’re owed coverage.

If you think your insurance claim was wrongfully denied, a bad faith insurance lawyer can help you get whatever you may be owed.

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