Most Georgia homeowners read their insurance policy for the first time when they're filing a claim. By then it's too late to change anything. The coverage limits, exclusions, and riders that determine what you'll actually get paid are locked in at renewal — not at loss. Here are 10 specific things to review now, before anything happens.
1. Dwelling coverage limit vs. replacement cost
Your dwelling coverage limit should reflect what it would cost to rebuild your home from scratch — not what the home is worth on the market. In Atlanta and surrounding counties, construction costs have risen significantly in recent years. A policy set in 2018 may be underinsured relative to current rebuild costs.
Ask your agent for a replacement cost estimator run on your home. If your dwelling coverage limit is lower than the estimated rebuild cost, you're underinsured. A loss above your coverage limit is your problem, not the insurer's.
2. Replacement cost vs. actual cash value
Confirm your dwelling and personal property coverage are on a replacement cost basis, not actual cash value. ACV policies deduct depreciation from every payment. On a major loss, that gap can be enormous. If your policy is ACV, the upgrade to replacement cost is usually modest in premium.
3. Ordinance or Law coverage
Check whether you have Ordinance or Law coverage and at what limit. For any home built before 1990 in Georgia, this coverage matters significantly. When a covered loss triggers a reconstruction permit, current building codes apply — and your standard dwelling coverage doesn't pay for the upgrade cost. See the full Resurgens explanation of Ordinance or Law coverage.
4. Personal property coverage and sublimits
Standard homeowners policies include personal property coverage at a percentage of dwelling coverage — typically 50–70%. But certain categories have sublimits: jewelry, art, collectibles, electronics, firearms, silverware. Check what those sublimits are and whether they cover what you actually own in those categories.
If you own valuable jewelry, art, or instruments that exceed the standard sublimits, a scheduled personal property endorsement provides specific coverage at full value for named items.
5. Additional Living Expense coverage
ALE (or Loss of Use) coverage pays for your temporary housing and increased living costs when a covered loss makes your home uninhabitable. Check both the limit and the time period. A limit of $10,000 sounds adequate until you're in a hotel for six months. An 18-month displacement — not unusual in major fires — requires substantial ALE coverage.
6. Water and flood exclusions
Standard homeowners policies cover sudden and accidental water discharge but exclude flooding. If your property has any flood risk — even modest — you need separate flood insurance. Also check whether your policy has a sewer backup exclusion and whether a sewer backup rider is available.
7. Cosmetic damage exclusion
Many Georgia policies now include a cosmetic damage exclusion that limits hail and wind coverage to functional damage only. If your policy has this exclusion, understand what it means for a hail claim — and consider whether your area's hail risk warrants shopping for a policy without it.
8. Mold coverage sublimit
Many Georgia policies include a mold coverage sublimit — often $5,000 to $10,000 — that is well below the cost of professional mold remediation in a significant water loss. Check the limit and consider whether an endorsement to increase it makes sense.
9. Deductible amounts and special deductibles
Check your all-peril deductible and whether your policy has a separate wind/hail deductible. Many Georgia policies now have a wind/hail deductible expressed as a percentage of dwelling coverage — 1% to 2% — rather than a fixed dollar amount. On a $300,000 dwelling, a 2% wind deductible means $6,000 out of pocket before coverage applies.
10. Loss assessment coverage for HOA members
If you're part of a homeowners association, check whether your policy includes loss assessment coverage. If the HOA's master policy has a deductible or shortfall after a shared-property claim, loss assessment coverage on your individual policy can cover your share of that assessment.
Reviewing these 10 items once a year — at renewal — takes less than an hour and can make a significant difference in what you recover after a major loss. If you find gaps, now is the time to close them. Contact your agent with specific questions about each item.
Related: How to File a Property Insurance Claim in Georgia: Step by Step — what to do when a loss happens, in the right order.