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Liz and Bill Spear, Transaction Alliance Cincinnati & Dayton suburbs (Transaction Alliance 513.520.5305 www.WarrenCountyOhioRealEstate.com)

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Rainmaker
642,884
Katina Hargrove 352-551-0308
Stake Your Land Realty, Inc. - Eustis, FL
Broker/Owner, SFRĀ®, e-PROĀ®, GRI, AHWD, REALTORĀ®

Liz and Bill Spear Not every insurance covers lost food, I wish they did. We just lost about $800 in food from a freezer that went South a few days ago.

Aug 22, 2025 04:55 PM
Rainmaker
519,804
J.R. Schloemer
Kentucky Select Properties - Louisville, KY

I did know that. When I was younger we lost power for nearly a week and my parents learned this after the fact, if I recall correctly, but they may have also filed a claim on it and received reimbursement.Ā 

Did you also know that your homeowner's insurance will probably cover water line replacement? So before you sign up with the solicited water line coverage mailers from your water provider, check with your agent if your HO policy covers this. There are a bunch of "hidden" coverages in your policy I have found, but if you do not know about them, others will exploit your fears and sell you another policy for things already covered.

Aug 22, 2025 11:08 PM
Ambassador
5,375,648
Jeff Dowler, CRS
eXp Realty of California, Inc. - Carlsbad, CA
The Southern California Relocation Dude

Good to know and worth checking on your particular policy - don't assume coverage is there.

Aug 22, 2025 03:10 PM
Ambassador
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Brian England
Ambrose Realty Management LLC - Gilbert, AZ
MBA, GRI, REALTORĀ® Real Estate in East Valley AZ

Yes, for some reason I knew that, haha.Ā  I have a freezer in my garage, and unbeknownst to me, a breaker had tripped, so the freezer was off for a few days.Ā  I had the breaker fixed, but lost everything that was in the freezer.Ā  I did not make a claim since my deductible was higher than the cost of replacing everything, haha.Ā  If there were no deductible, I might have taken advantage of it, or if it were included within a larger claim.Ā  Even with no deductible though, it seems that with every claim, insurance companies will then raise the cost of insurance in the future, so that is something to consider.

Aug 23, 2025 05:11 AM
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Kat Palmiotti
eXp Commercial, Referral Divison - Kalispell, MT
Helping your Montana dreams take root

I did not know that - and I have USAA. I'll have to double check!

Aug 23, 2025 05:07 AM
Rainmaker
1,666,056
John Juarez
The Medford Real Estate Team - Fremont, CA
ePRO, SRES, GRI, PMN

Thanks. I should check my policy out.

Aug 22, 2025 05:31 PM
Rainmaker
1,741,633
Thomas J. Nelson, REALTOR Ā® CRS,ABR,PSA,RCS-D, CFSP
Big Block LPT Realty 858.232.8722 - San Diego, CA
Coastal San Diego, Veteran's & Retirees Services

Yes we learned this after we had to file a claim regarding our kitchen.
Not one I'd exercise unless it was a freezer full of filet mignon šŸ˜‚Ā 

Aug 22, 2025 03:48 PM
Rainer
494,847
Don Baker
Lane Realty - Eatonton, GA
Lake Sinclair Specialist

Appliance warrantee's do the same.Ā  We had a freezer go out and the insurance we bought from Sears (years ago) paid it.

Aug 23, 2025 07:35 AM
Rainmaker
6,026,625
Wayne Martin
Wayne M Martin - Oswego, IL
Real Estate Broker - Retired

I never gave it a thought quite frankly. I should probably check my policy to see if food loss is covered. Thanks!Ā 

Aug 23, 2025 05:13 AM
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Kathleen Daniels, Probate & Trust Real Estate Svcs.
KD Realty - 408.972.1822 - San Jose, CA
Probate Real Estate Services

 

That is good to know, and I am delighted for you that USAA compensated without a hassle Liz and Bill Spear. 

Years ago, the power was out in my area for 15 hours. In surrounding areas, power was out for days. Needless to say, CA insurance does not cover the loss of food due to power outages.  

Aug 23, 2025 07:52 AM
Rainmaker
3,015,451
Richie & You
pearlsforthesoul.com - Riverside, CA
Author & Consultant

Yes to insurance finally doing some good to those that pay & never need it.

Aug 23, 2025 06:16 AM
Rainmaker
1,475,570
Peter Mohylsky, www.athome30a
Property Management Inc.-Destin - Sandestin, FL
Call me at 850-517-7098

Thanks for sharing, best of luck going forward. Ā 

Aug 23, 2025 04:23 AM
Ambassador
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Bob Crane
Woodland Management Service / Woodland Real Estate, KW Diversified - Stevens Point, WI
Forestland Experts! 715-204-9671

When we had a burglary they expected us to come up with receipts, wasn't worth the trouble, easier and cheaper to just suffer the loss and move on.

Aug 22, 2025 08:07 PM
Ambassador
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Kathy Streib
Cypress, TX
Retired Home Stager/Redesign

Hi Bill- we have USAA and love it. And, yes, after one of our last weather events, our local news shared that. And, with the cost of food today, that's a huge help.

Aug 23, 2025 09:47 AM
Rainmaker
889,649
Abby Stiller
TOP SELLING REALTY - Cape Coral, FL
SW Florida (239) 284-8637

I did know that and we received $500 from hurricane Ian.Ā 

Aug 23, 2025 09:16 AM
Rainmaker
1,596,354
Ryan Huggins - Thousand Oaks, CA
https://HugginsHomes.com - Thousand Oaks, CA
Residential Real Estate and Investment Properties

Out here in California, the utility companies will cover it if they have an outage lasting more than a couple of days.

Aug 23, 2025 09:03 AM
Rainmaker
2,808,217
Bob "RealMan" Timm
Ward County Notary Services - Minot, ND
Owner of Ward Co Notary Services retired RE Broker

I did not know that Liz and Bill Spear and I also have had a freezer fail. Thank you for the excellent tip.

Aug 23, 2025 07:49 AM
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Tammy Lankford,
Lane Realty Eatonton, GA Lake Sinclair, Milledgeville, 706-485-9668 - Eatonton, GA
Broker GA Lake Sinclair/Eatonton/Milledgeville

Never thought of homeowners for this, but knew years ago that my freezer warranty covered it when the "mother board" died about 6 months in.Ā  It then lasted a really long time.Ā  In fact it was the alarm system that stopped functioning properly and the beeping drove me nuts and the part was not available because it was so old.Ā  So 20 something years in we replaced it.

Ā 

Ā 

Aug 24, 2025 01:45 PM
Ambassador
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Anna "Banana" Kruchten
Retired Broker/Owner - Phoenix, AZ
602-380-4886

I had no idea Bill.Ā  I'll ask Gary and see if we have that.Ā  It covered our flooded kitchen last winter but the refrigerator/freezer wasn't involved.

Aug 24, 2025 11:43 AM
Rainmaker
877,838
Steve Higgins
RE/MAX Kelowna - Kelowna, BC

Yes I do. Never had to use it thank goodness!

Aug 23, 2025 01:11 PM
Rainmaker
1,370,009
Doug Dawes
Keller Williams Evolution - 447 Boston Street, Suite #5, Topsfield, MA - Topsfield, MA
Your Personal RealtorĀ®

Didn't but I will certainly be checking my coverage.

Aug 24, 2025 05:20 PM
Rainmaker
960,730
Olga Simoncelli
Veritas Prime, LLC dba Veritas Prime Real Estate - New Fairfield, CT
CONSULTANT, Real Estate Services & Risk Management

USAA is very good with claims, but watch for a rate increase!

Aug 23, 2025 01:42 PM
Rainmaker
8,748,362
Roy Kelley
Retired - Gaithersburg, MD

This is good information to share.

Aug 23, 2025 09:46 AM
Rainmaker
1,025,766
Eileen Burns 954.483.3912
Douglas Elliman Las Olas - Fort Lauderdale, FL
FLorida Real Estate Connector

I usually have two coolers available, one for frozen foods and one for perishables when planning ahead for hurricane activity I do not stock up on purchases so it will all fit when its time to evacuate.

I'm with Olga, I never submit a claim because it may escalate into a higher premium next time out.Ā  In the State of Florida anyone who is on Citizens and has not filed a claim in x amount of years can be shifted into the new insurance companies coming into the state to seek relief on high premiums.

Aug 25, 2025 08:34 AM
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Wanda Kubat-Nerdin - Wanda Can!
Red Rock Real Estate (435) 632-9374 - St. George, UT
Southern Utah's Preferred Real Estate Agent.

Had no idea, Bill. Will check the coverage on our new policy. Allstate refused to renew because they claim we live in a red zone.

Aug 24, 2025 06:42 PM
Rainmaker
838,520
Tony Lewis
Summit Real Estate Group - Valencia, CA
Summit Real Estate Group Valencia & Aliso Viejo

I didn't know and wouldn't be my biggest concern if my house were damaged or destroyed.

Sep 10, 2025 10:54 AM
Rainer
3,200
Macky Han
WebTraction Media - Venus, FL
I craft clear, original & audience-focused content

Yes, Iā€™ve come across this before! Many homeowners donā€™t realize that their insurance can cover food spoilage due to power outages or appliance failure. I learned this the hard way after a long power cut where I lost everything in my freezer. Filing a claim was fairly straightforward, but Iā€™d recommend checking the policy details because coverage limits can vary. Itā€™s a small but useful benefit that often gets overlooked until you actually need it.

Aug 29, 2025 12:23 AM
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