3 Common Misconceptions About Earthquake Coverage

Earthquake and flood damage are excluded under these policies unless a separate policy is purchased. If you don’t have the added protection of earthquake insurance, will you have enough to pay for repair and replacement costs out of pocket?

Think about the value of your assets and consider how you will pay to repair and replace these items if they are damaged during an earthquake. If you are a business owner, you should also consider how much it would cost to maintain your business in the event you have to close due to an earthquake, even if there is no damage to your property.

An earthquake policy will provide coverage for:

Personal

• Loss of use (additional living expenses while the building is being repaired; i.e. hotel or rental home expenses, food & utility expenses)
• Personal property
• Property repairs and building code upgrades for homeowners and condo owners

Commercial

• Building
• Business Equipment/Business Personal Property
• Lost income
• Ongoing expenses (i.e. wages/salaries, mortgage/lease, payments, etc.)
• Optional contents coverage (i.e. valuable papers and records, electronic data processing)

For many years after the Northridge earthquake, earthquake policies were expensive and very inflexible. Now with additional deductible and coverage options from insurance companies, policies are more customizable than ever and can be designed to better fit your coverage and financial needs.

You may be surprised to hear that there are deductible options as low as 5% of the dwelling coverage limit, as well as options for separate personal property deductibles.

Are you most concerned about how you will pay for additional living expenses if you’re not able to live in your home or condo after an earthquake? You can focus on loss of use coverage with options from $1,500 up to $100,000.

Business Owners: How long can you afford to close your business unexpectedly?

If you are a business owner, there are also affordable options available to you that cover losses due to an earthquake. Imagine that you are are out of business for a week or two. You still have expenses to pay, such as bills and wages, even though you have no revenue coming in. Business interruption coverage options are a smart and affordable way to make sure your business is protected.

The ability to customize earthquake policies has made earthquake insurance a valuable product that is worth the investment.  There are options available such as the Quake Assist program through Arrowhead General Insurance for simple ways to protect your business.